Come Back To Me
by Ina Meh Quin
Summary: Six years after Ultimecia was destroyed, the world is at peace. Squall now is a top instructor at Balamb Garden, and is trying to move on after Rinoa leaves his life. And it was all easy until an unusual mission is thrown on his lap and she suddenly comes into play... SquallxRinoa, R&R. [Incomplete].
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:  
I do not own any rights or anything of/or belonging to Final Fantasy VIII or Square Enix.**

**FFViii is one of my favorites. Some parts of this will not be true to the actual game, of course.  
But all is fun in a fanfic. I have added some of my own characters in there also, just an FYI.  
Please R&amp;R! :) thank you! And enjoy!**

**{{ Status: INCOMPLETE }}**

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**One:**

There was a full moon, bright and up high in the night sky. It illuminated the floors of Balamb Garden's hallway. With it being empty, each of the outdoor pillars cast a long shadow down the hall. It was eerie, almost. Yet beautiful. With the occasional sounds of roaring fiends coming from the training center, it only made the night that much better.

Squall enjoyed it. Enjoyed the silence and darkness above all else. Only at night was he still able to revert back to his old, quiet demeanor without a soul questioning him. Why would the top Instructor at Balamb be so quiet? So out of place? He had a large flock of cadets following his path and begging, just begging, for personal training time.

_Please, Sir Squall!_ \- _Next time, I promise..._

He pressed his back against one of the pillars of the hall. He wasn't sure the exact time of night, but he did this normally. Once he was sure almost the entire Garden was asleep, he would creep out of his quarters to think. Or what Quistis called moping. _All you do is mope!_ is what she told him, _I made you an instructor for a reason! Come on, Squall! _He always reminded her, he appreciated it. He loved her for it and always, each time, thanked her for the massive opportunity. Sometimes his shallow behavior would kick in and he would remind her - _I did save the world, you know._

As he thought about it, he told himself - that was years ago. It had been six years since Ultimecia had tried to bring her reign upon the planet. He did it - him and his team. After the world regained it's order and composure, and each of the Garden's recomposed themselves, he returned. Squall walked through Balamb Garden, with his jacket pulled over one shoulder and a small smirk on his face, straight to the headmaster's office. Cid had welcomed him with the largest of hugs and beamed. His top notch SeeD had returned.

It wasn't those thoughts that made Squall creep out at night, no. He had been happy and humble for a long time. Everyone was at the Garden. Almost everyone had become an instructor of some sort, or in some way. _And then you just left, Rinoa..._ and that was it. Squall looked up towards the moon, and moved his hair from his face. Sometimes in the moon's light he could see her smile. Maybe he was foolish. Maybe it wasn't right to hold on. She had up and left his quarters without a note or a word to anyone. No one had seen her leave the grounds. She even left every ounce of clothing behind, including his griever chain that he had given to her once the war had ended. Four years had passed, and still Squall brought himself outside to think of her face. Her voice.

Sometimes his skin would ache for hers, or his heart would pound for no reason. He missed her, that was for sure. And the moon calmed his loneliness. The night air calmed his grief. He did anything to remove himself from the bed they once shared. Sometimes he would take himself to the training center and put his gunblade to work. He purposely sought out the T-Rex every time; it was the only fiend that the Garden had acquired that was suitable for a fight. Something to get his blood pumping; an adrenaline rush. But this night, he needed something calming.

"It'll be the 24th tomorrow, Rinoa..." Squall spoke into the air. Of course he received no response. If she had stayed, and they had remained with one another, it would have been their anniversary. Five years. _Five years, Rinoa..._

He heard the light clicking of footsteps, more like the sound of boots. He looked up, and saw Irvine walking towards him. "Oh you're awake." Squall said.

Irvine chuckled sightly as he reached his good friend, and leaned against pillar just next to him. "Hey now, I'm a grown boy and don't got no type of curfew."

Squall had rolled his eyes and pushed his attention back towards the moon, "Well, good night, Irvine." he said, "Sleep well."

Irvine caught the uneasiness immediately. He looked at his lonesome friend, who's saddened eyes stared up at the moon in between his now light pink scar. He still wore his instructor clothes. Irvine couldn't say much different as he himself an instructor, still in his instructor attire but he was heading to bed. He knew Squall had no intentions on sleeping. "Will you be alright?" He asked.

Squall looked at his long haired friend and nodded his head slowly. Irvine nodded in return - he understood. He understood more so because he was one of the few who remembered what time of the year it was. He remembered because he and Selphie weren't too far off themselves with an anniversary. "Well I'll see you in the 'morn. Don't know if you got Quistis' letter yet, but we have a meeting bright and early."

Squall nodded, but in truth didn't pay much attention. As Irvine walked passed, Squall made the note to tell Selphie he wished her good night. Irvine nodded with his good old brown cowboy hat and walked down the hallway towards the personal quarters.

Once alone again, Squall closed his eyes and listened to the wind. Maybe he could hear their song if he tried hard enough. If he heard it, maybe then he could sleep. Just maybe. Yet, with all his will, he pulled himself from the glow of the moon and the frame of the pillar; he too turned down the hall towards his personal quarters. _I think it's time I let you go, Rinoa... _He thought to himself.

Apparently, tomorrow would be a big day for him.

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**Hopefully it was an alright start! This started off as just a OneShot idea, but halfway through the second paragraph I wanted to continue it :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Greyshade &amp; Kpopluver - Thank you for the reviews :)**

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**Two:**

Even after his nightly stroll it had taken Squall hours to fall asleep. He tried to push the thoughts from his mind through out the night, but couldn't. It seemed like every few minutes he thought of Rinoa; a memory they had shared. His dreams had crept upon him strong once he did manage to close his eyes. His mind bounced through an endless cycle of memories, like a movie reel in his mind. Right before he woke, his mind had stopped at the first time they had ever seen each other - the SeeD ball. _You're the best looking guy here..._

When he opened his eyes, the sun had poured it's rays into his bedroom. It was overly bright, but he didn't mind. In fact, it was nice. He couldn't explain it, but laying there in bed after his dream, he felt great. Her voice wasn't leaving a trace of whispers. Her face wasn't a lingering thought for once. Instead, he only heard birds chirping outside his window; Instead, he thought of food. He just really wanted to rush to the cafeteria and see if hot dogs were available, despite the fact that it was time for breakfast.

He pressed his right hand gently against his face, and took in a breath. _It's the 24th,_ he thought, and for the first time his heart didn't stop. He didn't feel a surge of emotion, or ache. He felt, in a way, at peace. Sure, he still saw her smile when he closed his eyes. This time her smile did not bring him pain. It brought him peace. Whatever it was that happened the night before, the moon had finally agreed with him. He finally had the chance to let her go. Squall didn't waste the moment. He opened his eyes and sat up quickly in bed. He felt alive, and rejuvenated. _A good nights rest,_ he thought to himself. He glanced over at his clock: 8:45 AM. The message Irvine had told him the night before, he hadn't received - or maybe he had. Regardless, he didn't know the exact time of the meeting nor the place of it. He figured he would know soon enough. It wouldn't be the first time he was late to a meeting.

He moved from his bed and half dressed in his instructor clothes. He only wore the pants and boots; he didn't bother to put on his jacket as he technically didn't have a class until noon. His regular white shirt would suffice. With a glance in the mirror, Squall ran his hands through his brown hair. It had grown longer than normal, but he sported it well. He liked it. Despite it's length, it still fell around his face in normal fashion with his scar still visible in the center of his face. As he turned his cheek from side to side, he checked for spit dribble - Nothing. With a quick trip to his bathroom, he brushed his teeth and took a swing of mouth wash. Didn't take him more than two minutes to be out the door.

Balamb Garden was full of life that morning. More than usual. Or maybe it wasn't, maybe Squall just happened to take notice as his mind wasn't preoccupied with a million thoughts. The sun had poured in from the windows all throughout the garden and lit up the golden floors. The sound of water from the lobby's fountain was a beautiful sound to hear. And to watch every student and cadet walking through the halls, it was new to him. He normally only paid attention to his own cadets at each of his classes. To see all of Balamb alive, made him feel alive. Squall couldn't wipe the smile from his face. "Yo, Squall!"

He had headed straight towards the cafeteria when he heard his name from behind. When he turned, Zell was running towards him in full sprint. Squall wasn't surprised, and shifted to the side so once Zell caught him to him there wouldn't be a crashing encounter. "Do you have to run every where?" he asked Zell.

Zell laughed a bit. He was one of the few who hadn't really changed. He was still overly full of life, and loud. He did, however, add to his tattoo and continued it down his neck and around his shoulder. He had said as he grew up, his tattoo did too; though he kept his hair the same - _Have to keep some of my youth, man._ "I don't, but I do." he said.

Squall smiled and as he had brought his instructor jacket with him, he slumped it over his shoulder. Zell looked at him curiously as he smiled, but shook it away almost instantly. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Squall pointed his head in the direction of the cafeteria. He could smell the food coming from it's open doors. It did nothing to help his now rumbling stomach. "Man, you're late for the meeting! Quistis is furious!" Zell exclaimed with wide eyes.

_Right. The meeting. _Squall kept his sights on the cafeteria door, no matter how serious Zell made the meeting. He ever patted his lips together, pretending to taste the scents in the air. Zell jumped in front of him and waved his arms around. "Um, hello! Did you not hear me? The meeting? That way." He pointed up above his head in the direction of the headmaster's office; Quistis' office.

Squall looked at Zell again and sighed. "It's early. And she knows I can eat enough for seven men. Can't I just-"

Zell didn't wait for Squall to finish. He grabbed Squall's sleeve and pulled him in the opposite direction of food. Squall's eyes watered a bit, and his stomach cried out in frustration. He only wanted to eat. "Zell..." he said under his breath as he was pulled towards the Garden's massive elevators. "Nope! This is important!" he said loudly.

Squall sighed. With a pull, he released himself from Zell's grasp and fixed his shirt. He re-positioned his jacket on his shoulder and started to walk ahead. "I can walk." he said, and looked back at his friend, "and if I find out there were hot dogs and I missed out, you're going to meet me in the training center."

Zell laughed and with a light jog caught up to Squall. Together, the walked to the lobby and entered the elevator. Squall had entered to first and waited as patiently as possibly as Zell shifted into the small area with him. As he pushed the button towards the top floor, Zell looked over at Squall nervously and said, "Wouldn't a game of Triad suffice?"

Squall huffed in frustration.

* * *

Squall could hear yelling coming from the top floor before the elevator had even reached it's destination. When the large, decorated doors opened it's way, Squall saw Quistis pacing back and forth. In front of her was Irvine and Seifer; Selphie was also there, but seated to the side. She was a few months pregnant, and Irvine never let her stand for more than a few minutes without him beginning to worry about the welfare of their child. As Squall made his entrance, he nodded in Selphie's direction with a smile, "How's the baby this morning?" he asked her.

"Fine." Selphie said to him, returning the smile. He leaned over to rub her belly as he got close enough. With a laugh, he moved his head in Quistis' direction, "Hopefully it's had better serenades than this."

"Squall!" Quistis' yelled. He could feel the anger and frustration in her voice. He looked over at her with his normal smirk and sighed. "Yes, almighty headmistress. How may I be of service?"

She stomped both of her boots against the ground. Quistis had left the scene of fights and violence once Cid had announced he was up for retirement. With it, she changed her whole appearance - to appear more mature and punctual for her Garden and cadets. She had let her hair grow, and it now fell down her waste. She had changed her orange attire for something more red; She always wore a long red cardigan that dropped to the floor, black pants and a white blouse underneath. When she had changed her look, just after appointing Squall as instructor, he had told her she looked like an old woman. She fired him for it, but rehired him only minutes later. "You have no idea how frustrating you are!" Quistis yelled.

Squall closed his eyes and nodded his head. He took a few steps in her direction. "Who are you telling? Do you know how hungry I am?"

Irvine turned his head to look at Squall and mouthed the words _stop it._ Seifer, on the other hand, stifled a laugh. Quistis heard it as clear as day, "Oh, you two! Gah, the both of you!" She turned around on her heel and headed towards her desk. The sound of her breathing had over shot the sound of her boots; she was indeed furious.

Squall joined his small team and looked over at his two friends. Irvine sported a look of disappointment. He had awoken so early he hadn't had the chance to change into proper clothes; he still wore wool pants and a tank top. Seifer sported the same, with his hair disheveled and his eyes still foggy with sleep. He too hadn't change much. The only thing that had changed was he and Squall had actually become good friends. "I told you about the meeting last night, Squall." Irvine said in a low voice.

Squall looked back towards Quistis', who at her desk was frantically rummaging through papers and books. She had knocked a few glasses on the ground; luckily enough they didn't shatter. "He knows," Seifer defended him, "We all got the memo."

"Well..." Squall looked back at the two men and smiled nervously, "If I did get the memo, I didn't read it. I don't know where it is... so I'm going to go with the latter - I didn't get it."

"I sent it with a cadet!" Quistis interrupted Squall's small conversation. She had apparently found what she had been lucky for as she walked toward him with a paper in hand. Squall thought about it for a second, and remembered -_ Oh, Jule did say he needed to tell me something very important during class, didn't he?_

Quistis shoved the paper in Squall's face hard enough that the edges poked uncomfortably at his nose. He tried to look down at it without shifting his head; out of respect for his headmistress, of course. "I can't read it, Ma'am." he said.

With a puff, Quistis dropped the paper at his feet and stood there without a word. Squall took a moment as he looked at everyone; no one was moving, all eyes on him. He sighed and knelt forward to pick up the paper, letting his eyes land on the first line:

_Ultimecia has been spotted. Alive._

Squall's heart dropped inside his chest. He looked at everyone with fear in his eyes. They each nodded at him. Without hesitation, he looked back at Quistis and bowed his head. "I'm sorry." he said, "I am so sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Three:**

Squall had read through the transcript four times. He needed to believe it was real. That it was all 100% fact. At the end of the page it was signed Ellone; she was stationed in Esthar. Quistis had paced the entire time Squall remained quiet. No one spoke, in fact. They each waited for Squall to truly grasp the situation at hand before commencing the rest of the meeting.

"Hey." Seifer leaned over and looked at Squall's face, "You alright in there?"

_No, not really._ He looked over at Seifer, and nodded his. "I'm fine." He said, regardless of his real thoughts.

Quistis stopped her pacing. She looked at her small group of instructors and sighed to herself. She tried to think of the words to say next, but she couldn't. When she had received the notice the day before, she had locked herself in her office for an hour or so. She had felt overwhelmed. She had to admit to herself that she was in fact scared, and after she had calmed herself sent notices to them all. "If she is indeed back, I'm fearing for the worst." Quistis said suddenly.

Everyone looked up at her. She couldn't look any of her friends in the eye. Her eyes were staring at the tips of her boots, and nervously she turned them from side to side. "I needed you all in here because it was we who destroyed her. I'm fearing she will come back to us. For us, specifically."

Seifer, too, turned his attention to the ground. It had been so long since he thought of it; After years of nightmares he had finally gotten over the memories. All the horrible things he had done for the sorceress. He was glad that everyone stood by him, and never gave up on him. He supposed if they had left him to himself, he wouldn't be the man he was today. Or alive, for that matter. "We have to do something..." he said under his breath.

"What?" Irvine said to him, "What exactly can we do? We're not built for this! Hell, we weren't even built for it then!"

Squall sensed the fear and frustration in everyone's voice. He walked past Quistis and laid the paper back down upon her desk. Behind him, Seifer yelled at Irvine, "Hell but we did it!"

"No, we did it!" Irvine angrily moved his face closer to Seifer. Each had an angry sneer on their face, almost like two fighting dogs. Selphie raised a hand towards the father of her child, "Irvine, stop it..."

Quistis placed herself between the two of them. She put her hands on Irvine's shoulders and nudged him in the direction of his pregnant soon-to-be-wife, and mouthed the words, _Stop, she needs you._ She then moved her hands upon Seifer's shoulders, and mouthed the word _breath._ The last thing she needed were the men who had the ability to help her at each other's necks. And Squall, through all this commotion, remained silent. He hadn't moved from Quistis' desk. He had looked over the large piles of paper that had been thrown everywhere. There were school reports, and grades. There were also a few training reports from new SeeD's. Yet, in the midst of the mess, he saw a small photo under the sheets. He recognized the shoe in the photo. As he moved the papers aside, he saw the photo in it's entirity - it was all of them, five years prior. Irvine and Selphie were embraced in a hug, Zell with all his goofiness had crouched down in front of everyone. Seifer had somehow managed to be in the photo and stood at the end of the group with a scowl on his face. Quistis was dead center, winking one eye and holding up a peace sign. Cid and Edea were just beside her, giving the camera a wave. And to the far right, there they stood; He and Rinoa stood together, holding hands. She had her head leaned against his shoulder. _Rinoa..._ he thought, _What about Rinoa..._ "This isn't a time to fight." he spoke suddenly.

Quistis had turned to look at him. _Finally, my voice of reason, _she thought to herself. Squall had turned to face them all. There was no smile on his face. He would admit if they asked him that he was afraid. But he tried to keep his composure for them. He had been their leader once, he would do it again. He pressed his hands behind him to rest against the desk. He looked at his shirt that he had unintentionally left on the ground; he had dropped it after finding out the news. "We can plan." he said, "We can start recruiting SeeD's if need be."

"They're kids..."Quistis said quietly.

"As were we," he said quickly, and looked her in the eye. "We were kids. But we were trained SeeD's. It was our duty to respond to fights, and wars. We could... we could even reach out to the other Gardens. The more help we have, the better."

"Do you really think they would help us so easily?" Seifer asked.

Squall only shrugged. "I wouldn't see why not. When was the last time we had actually fought each other? When was the last time our SeeD's had actually done anything of real meaning, other than transport someone important from city to city. They're trained for action and battle."

Quistis lowered her head and walked back over to her desk. She stood next to her dear friend. She was trying to read his thoughts, but in his eyes she saw the old Squall slowly emerging. The Squall that hid his emotions, but all in all, lead them well. She knew she was the headmistress, and she knew her duties - Squall was right after all. She looked back at Irvine, Selphie and Seifer and made her decision. "Right." She said, "Squall is right. I'll make the calls today. I'll send letters every where, and to every one. Squall," she turned her head to look at him directly, "I want you to call all of your cadets and pick the ones that you see equip for this. I don't just want anyone. Zell and Irvine, you do the same."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Seifer stepped forward towards his headmistress, "What would you like me to do, Quistis?"

She looked over at him, and nodded quickly, "Right. Yes. I need you to go through the Garden's weapon log. I need to make sure that we have every possible weapon for this. Look through the weapon monthly's, see if there are any that we can special order. I need new weapons for each of you, as soon as possible. Once cadets are picked, I need you to work with them and have them equipped as well."

Seifer nodded, understanding his role. As Quistis nodded for the last time, they each nodded again and bowed to her. They were dismissed, and planning needed to start immediately.

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After the meeting, Squall had found himself in the cafeteria - his original destination. He had missed out on the hot dogs, of course. He settled for a stale side of french fries. He barely touched them, however. They were overly salted and even with ketchup, left a sour taste in his mouth. He really sat there because he needed to think things over. How quickly did everything change. His day had started off great, his mood through the roof; only to be dropped on the floor again. Nothing made sense. He remembered the final swing. It was he himself who dealt the final blow that ended Ultimecia's reign of terror. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. But somehow, she was alive?

It made sense that she would probably come through for them. He could only imagine that she would want them dead, and to have them die painful deaths. There was no mercy within her. He had to send a message out to Ellone, to thank her. And to ask her if she could somehow, find a way to find Rinoa...

"Hey..."

Squall's thoughts were disturbed by Zell voice. He looked up to see his friend holding a plate. When the plate was pushed in front of his face, he saw a hot dog on it. Squall forced a smile on his face. "Thanks." he said.

He didn't deny the hot dog. Even in his state of mind, nothing could rid him of his hunger. In three swift bites, it was gone. "I knew you were going to kill me." Zell said as he joined Squall's table, "So I asked Fujin to please hold some for me."

Squall shook his head, "No. You had asked him to do that from the start. Had nothing to do with me."

Zell stayed quiet for a moment, but couldn't suppress his nervous laugh. He scratched the back of his head quickly. "Um, well..."

"Right." Squall laughed. They took the moment to relax without making a sound. Both of them closed their eyes and relaxed in the empty cafeteria. Most of the cadets had already started classes. Squall had sent notices to each of his cadets that class would be postponed, and to keep a look out for him on an hourly basis; He would call them at some point today to tell them something important. He was sure Zell and Irvine did the same. He could imagine his cadets had all made home in the training center; They did that normally when he canceled classes, though he rarely did. He was always there, first in line to teach his cadets anything and everything they were willing to learn. "Do you really think this is happening?" Zell asked Squall.

Squall looked at his friend and shrugged, "Yes and no."

"Feel's like a dream, doesn't it?"

_No, I awoke from my dream today... _"More like a nightmare." Squall said.

"Maybe we shouldn't ask Irvine of this, you know." Zell said, "I mean, Selphie needs him here."

Squall looked down at the now cold fries that were still on the table. Zell had a point. Irvine couldn't stay away from her long. He wasn't sure he could depend on him to leave the Garden for a long period. Who knew where this would take them? "Time will tell. We'll still preparing." Squall said.

Zell nodded his head. "You are our leader." he said with a smile.

Squall smiled back. With a pat on the table, he let Zell know that he was going to find his students. He felt he took enough time to himself, it was time to do his turn of informing. He had a few of his cadets in mind. One in particular was named Zane. He was a tall boy with a ball of black curls on top of his head. Young, but full of ambition. Quick too. As Squall left the cafeteria, he knew that Zane would be in the training center with some, if not all, of his fellow cadets. He quickly put on his instructor jacket.

_Time to be a leader._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to Rebekka for your review! And super thanks to Greyshade! Love your feedback and definitely made notes of your advice :) I might actually put some to use. Again, sorry for grammatical errors. I always saw I'm not perfect~ But I do believe the more you write, the better you get *fingers crossed* ... Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter.**

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**Four:**

Squall took the long way to the training center; He, both, needed time to think and wanted to give his cadets more training time. On his way out of the cafeteria he had removed his jacket once more, and carried it over his shoulder. The Garden was always a bit warm, and the sun that beamed down from each of it's open windows didn't help. After years of being there, he would think he could have grown used to the feeling bit he didn't. He turned down into the lobby of Balamb. With his hands he touched the artificial garden plants that heavily decorated the entry way. They were even scented to give off realistic plant life. Nothing compared to the actual outdoors, in Squall's eyes.

"Sir Squall!" He heard a small voice.

Squall turned around, and coming out the large elevator was a young girl around the age of twelve. She had extremely long black hair that fell around her shoulders, and bright pale skin. She was always dressed in pink underneath her young cadet clothes. Her name was Nubia. She was one of Squall's new young cadets. His cadets were usually the older sets, and have already gone through basic training. Quistis had offered him a younger class; _Branch out, _she said. He had looked through the file of young recruits and almost denied them all until he came across Nubia's photo. He had glanced back at Quistis, who only smiled. The young girl was from Timber, and she looked like a young, bright Rinoa. _I'll take the whole set in three weeks time,_ he told Quistis, _try to knock out some of their basics, so I don't have to._

He smiled as she approached him and knelt down slightly to look her in the eye, "Well, Hello." he said with a small laugh.

She smiled at him with her light blue eyes. She clicked the back of her shoes together, and gave a small jump. She was so full of life. "Our first class is next week!" she said with a large smile.

Squall nodded slightly. But once the thought hit him that he might not be at the Garden in a weeks time, he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, well, Nubia... Something might have come into play here... At the Garden, with the SeeD's."

Nubia had pressed her lips together to listen to her instructor intently. There was concern in her eyes, not disappointment. As many times as Squall had met with his young cadets and done his formal meetings, and expectations, she was the only one out of the ten that had the most intellect and maturity. "Will everything be alright?" She asked.

"Yes." he said, as a matter of fact. Though deep down he wasn't sure. He couldn't worry his young student, of course. When she didn't respond, he ruffled the top of her head and smiled at her. "The moment everything is done, we'll commence our first class." he said.

Nubia nodded her head respectfully, but couldn't hide her bubbly behaviors; She smiled wide. "I will be fully prepaid!"

She gave squall a bow before she ran off towards the cafeteria. Squall stood there for a moment until she was out of view, and turned back towards the training center. He still had time to plan out for his young students, which to be honest he had actually forgotten it was so soon. Not that he didn't want to start off with a fresh batch of SeeD candidates, but he had his older students to attend to. As he walked, he made a list for himself: _Find all of my cadets, and tell them the news. Second, pick out my new SeeD's. Third, Report back to Quistis._ As Squall reached the entrance of the training center, he put his hand to his face and sighed. _I don't need a list..._

He could hear sparing coming from inside. The air from the center smelled wet, and earthy; The scent he really loved. He took in a deep breath to refresh himself, and calm his thoughts. Inside, he saw his cadets, all of them - _Of course. _Each had assigned themselves a sparing partner and took spots in different areas as they trained. Squall looked around at his group and smiled. His cadets were one of the few that were allowed entrance into the center without instructor supervision. They had earned that right; He taught each of them well.

None of them noticed him as he entered. He didn't mind, per say. Each of them were heavily fixed on their opponent. Close by on his right he saw Zane. The boy of seventeen had decided to take on two of his fellow cadets. He had acquired a sword from his father; it was a short, blunt blade but the way the boy yielded it, it did pack a punch when he needed it to. Squall hand leaned against the entrance as he watched his top cadet. The boy leaped into the air with a yell and swung down the blade with all his might. His two opponents, who were both magic users, had dodged the attack and tried to combat him at once. _They're probably going to kill each other, _ Squall thought as he started to walk forward, _ Maybe, I should end this._

Zane had turned his body to swing the blade again. He had it gripped with all his might and as he aimed to pull it down against his friends, it wouldn't budge. He looked up at the tip of his weapon to find Squall holding it with one hand. His mouth dropped for a second, "Sir!" he exclaimed, and bowed to his instructor.

Everyone heard him. Each cadet at once stopped their mini battles and turned to face Squall. "Sir!" they each called out in unison. And again in unison, each bowed.

Squall made a motion in the air with his hand. His _whatever_ to his students. He hated the formalities, but knew that they knew it was recommended and appropriate. When each cadet is accepted to Balamb, they are told by Quistis herself to treat every instructor with respect and care. They are to always remember that every adult at the Garden is like their parents away from home. And to remember, that the Garden was their second home. Squall just assumed years before Cid didn't really give a damn; When he had received his acceptance letter - there was no formal orientation - it stated the date he was to arrive at the Garden, and his room. When he had started his training, Cid had made his appearance to each room and nodded at everyone. Nothing more. It took Squall a few months to even learn his old Headmaster's name... _Times are definitely different, _Squall continued to remind himself. "I know you all received my notice about classes canceled."

Each of his cadets nodded. In return, Squall nodded as well. "Good."

Squall walked amongst his students, and looked each of them up and down. His jacket, he had left conveniently at the training center's entrance in a nice folded pile; he would retrieve it once he was done informing everyone. He dug his hands in the front pockets of his jeans as he kicked at the dirt underneath his feet. He was trying to find the words to explain everything. He couldn't really think of a way. "Does anyone remember the war? Six years ago?" He figured that was a good way to start.

Some of his cadets nodded their heads, while other's remained still. He had to remind himself that not everyone was effected by the war when it had occurred, so it wasn't an actual memory in their upbringing. He decided to continue with it anyway. "We, as in all of us," he nodded towards his students who had no knowledge of alleged war, "Would not be here today if specific beings weren't stopped in their war path." he said. He wanted to add, _we would all probably be dead,_ but decided it was inappropriate to address it in that way to his group. "The headmistress has received notice that our SeeD's need to be assembled-"

"But, there hasn't been a real SeeD team in years, Sir." Zane spoke. He stood near Squall, and was positioned as a true soldier. His head was high and faced straight forward; His hands were held behind his back. Squall looked at him with a mixture of irritation, and pride - _Why must you be like me? _"I was getting to that, Zane." he said firmly, and continued his walk around everyone.

"I was told to pick a cadet, or two, or three - whichever I preferred - to become a SeeD, and take on this mission."

"What is the mission, Sir Squall?" A female cadet asked. She stood to his far left. She was short, slim, with blonde hair cut short around her face. Her name was Kila but Squall called her Kills because of the way she used a bow and arrow.

"That," He looked at Kila for a second, and then looked back at the rest of his cadets, "Would be for the SeeD member's knowledge only."

Squall decided to keep it a secret. There was no need to tell everyone, and somehow it end up through out the entire Garden that Ultimecia was alive again. Not that many of the cadets knew who she was, which was evident from his own batch. He couldn't take that chance. He would never hear the end of it from Quistis. _You just caused complete mayhem! _He could already hear her...

"How will you be choosing?" Another one of his cadets asked. That was a good question. He finally stopped his circling and pressed a hand to his face. He hadn't actually put much thought into how he was going to choose. Mainly, because he already had decided. He wanted to make it a fair decision, but what if he didn't have the time to do so? To prep them all? Squall could feel his students eyeballing him. The center had grown quiet with the exception of screams from the few fiends nearby. "I will.. send... a letter." He sounded unsure, even to himself.

No one was satisfied with the answer, he saw it in each of their eyes. He, himself, wasn't satisfied. A part of him felt as though he wasted their time. He wasted his own time. He had it all in his head - he wanted to announce the issue at hand, fight with his cadets in a mock battle and choose from that stand point. That's how it should have been done anyway. But he knew his cadets; He knew who would be capable of such a mission, and who would crack at the first battle. He needed someone who didn't fear death, or didn't care. Like himself.

"A letter?" Zane took a step forward towards his instructor. Squall heard this disappointment in his voice. "Yes." was all he said.

He turned his back towards his students. "Dismissed." he said with a wave of his hand.

* * *

Zell and Irvine had met near the lobby. They had decided it would be easier to pair up their cadet classes, and make the announcement together about needing new SeeDs. Not that Irvine necessarily wanted to; Zell requested the partnership. On the way down the elevator, Zell looked at Irvine and asked him for the help. When Irvine made a face, Zell only said -_ I'm no good with bad news..._

Together they had requested that Selphie, who had taken over basic duties of the garden, make an over head announcement to all of their cadets to meet them at the quad. Irvine only regreted it seconds later, but couldn't help but laugh at his woman._ Attention Balamb!_ She had announced so loudly throughout the Garden, _Will the cadets of Irvine Kinneas and Zell Ditch, oops... Zell Dincht meet their instructors over at the library! Wait no, the Quad! Will the cadets of Irvine and Zell, please meet your instructors at the Quad. Thank you! Annd, have a good day!_

"How can she ruin my name?" Zell asked. They had been seated in the Quad when the announcement was made. When he heard his name mispronounced, he felt embarrassed. "How long has she known me now? Man..."

Irvine laughed. He decided to climb up top the stage just near them and look towards the entrance to see who would arrive early. He loved his early bird students. "Oh, zip it, Zell. Not that big of a deal."

"Well she didn't screw up your name!"

"You can be a kid sometimes, Zell." Irvine snipped.

Zell let his frustration build up in his fist and jumped out of his seat in fighting stance. He snarled at Irvine. There was a pulsating vein, clearly visible, on his forehead. "Oh I'ma kid?!"

Irvine couldn't help but laugh at his friend. He moved a strand a hair from his face and tucked it behind his ear. As much as he hated to admit it, this was normal for them both. Despite their maturity, or Zell's lack there of, they always found themselves in a mini brawl; a mini brawl that really never got anywhere. "Oh their fighting!" Irvine heard a young voice.

A young girl had ran up the pathway leading to the Quad with six other cadets behind her. He didn't recognize the girl, but two of the cadets were his. He assumed the rest were Zell's. _And there's my earl birds,_ he thought to himself. "No no, we're not fighting." Irvine said, and shot Zell a look.

Zell caught sight of the kids close by and loosened his fists, and calmed his emotions. No need to fight; not at a time like this. He fixed his yellow top and blue pants from crinkles once the cadets approached them, he hadn't had the time to change into his instructor attire. He told himself it wasn't as bad as being in full pajamas like Irvine. The cadets caught their appearance almost immediately. One of the girls giggled, mainly at Irvine. Despite his age and position at the Garden, some of the younger girls still thought of him as a heart throb; Apparently his pajamas wasn't much of an issue. "Alright, everyone. Settle down!" Irvine called over everyone as he stood upon the stage.

He counted the heads he could see, and started the count the few stragglers that just entered. "Zell, how many in your class?" he asked.

Zell looked up at Irvine and thought about it for a second. He looked ahead at the cadets in front on him, and silently started to count himself. "I have eleven." He said.

Irvine nodded, and made note that his ten cadets were also present. He had a second and third class, which mainly consisted of younger groups. He called his older group Class A. "Alright, Cadets," Irvine spoke to everyone, Zell's students included, "We've brought you all in one area today to..." his voice trailed off.

Like Squall, Zell and Irvine did not think everything through. In front of them, the large group of teenagers were waiting to listen. "Um," Zell whispered up to his long haired friend, "How exactly would we do this?"

Irvine looked down at his fellow instructor, and shrugged. _ Shit, I really don't know..._ He mouthed. "Is this about SeeD?" one cadet called out from the back of the group.

Zell perked his ears at the voice he heard. He looked around to try and spot the face that spoke but had no luck. "Yo." He looked up at Irvine, and extended a hand, "Gimme a hand."

With a pull, they both stood on top of the stage. Zell looked over the groups, and spotted the cadet as he waved his hand in the air. "What's you name?" Zell asked.

"Bruce." the cadet responded.

Irvine nodded his head and looked back at Zell, "He's one of mine." he said.

Zell nodded and looked back at Bruce, "What do you know about Seed?" he asked him

Bruce shrugged slightly, "I know as much as anyone. But I heard Squall's class talking about how he's going to pick SeeD members with some kind of letter to their dorm."

Zell blinked. Irvine did too. It took a second, but the looked at one another and shared the same smirk. _Why didn't we think of that?_ They thought in unison. "Well, yes, and yes." Zell said.

There were a few murmurs of _whats_ throughout the group. Irvine nodded. He dug his hands into the pockets of his pants and cleared his throat. He sort of felt like they had wasted their time. "We're recruiting full fledged SeeDs. And like Squall, we too, shall be sending letters to the cadets of our choices."

_How many will you choose?_

_How will you choose?_

_Couldn't you have just sent the letter then?_

_Man, I was eating, ya know!_

Zell shook his hands above his head, "Woah! Calm down!" He said to the group. Slowly, all the called out questions turned into quiet whispers among themselves. "Alright," Zell said, "it depends on the group, and the instructor." He made up.

Irvine followed his lie, "And it's been based on performance lately in classes and mock fights. With the short notice given we have no time to actually initiate an actual SeeD exam. But we will hold faith on the cadets that are chosen."

This seemed to please the group enough. Some actually started to leave the Quad after Irvine had finished. "Um, yes!" Zell called out, "And I guess you're dismissed."

There were murmurs of disappointment. As each of the cadets left, Irvine jumped down a bit to sit on the edge of the stage. He rubbed his chin with his left hand, and then his right. It reminded him he actually needed to shave; there was indeed stuble growing it. "Well that was a waste of time..." Zell said as he sat next to him.

Irvine nodded his head, "Yeah. It was..." He looked up at the skylight, "We should have asked Squall first before doing all of this..."

Zell nodded his head, and kicked up his shoes. "Right."

They stayed quiet for a moment. Once all of the students finally left, Zell looked at Irvine curiously, "So who will you pick, then?"

Irvine shrugged,"Actually, I don't know."

"Me either..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Five:**

* * *

Seifer had made home within the library after the meeting. He had occupied three computers to himself, and pulled every issue of Weapon's Monthly from the shelves. When he had entered, he instructed the women at the front desk to please keep cadets from the computers. _Quistis buisness,_ he told them. These women were knew to Balamb, and only knew the man Seifer was as of late; they only knew to trust him.

Seifer had been in charge of Balamb Facilities; all the quarters, inventory for infirmary, upkeep with the training center, etc. Mainly the parts of the Garden that had to do with numbers and counts, it was his. All of his reports were sent to Quistis in a timely fashion. And now, he was in charge of ordering and deploying weapons for the SeeD members; Or, he should say, the cadets who were soon to be SeeD members.

"Maybe I should wait..." he whispered to himself, "I don't have a single clue where to start. Who likes what?" He thought of the cadets. Each would have to have their own specialized weapon, and it wasn't the time to order every piece of metal. Quistis would kill him if he blew through major parts of the Garden's funds. What if the absolute worst would happen, and Balamb would have no gil to fall back on? Seifer would never forgive himself.

He moved his right index finger along the scar on his face. With his left hand, he jabbed a pen against his cheek in thought. In front of him were three open magazines. One of the pages had an updated model of a Gunblade; Squall's weapon on choice. He preferred it also. Staring the weapon on the page, his mind had begun to wander. He thought back a few years, when he had wandered back to the Garden. After parting with everyone after Ultimecia was defeated He had spent a year on his own, no home or stable place to sleep. He rarely ate, and if he did manage to get a hold of food, he would swap it away for alcohol. He had actually developed a severe gambling problem - which sometimes went hand-in-hand with his lack of understanding on why Quistis trusted him with money. None the less, Quistis greeted him with a hug. _It's ok now,_ she had told him, _we're family._

_'How can you forgive me so easily?' he had asked her._

_Quistis, a new headmistress, had shook her head, 'No one blames you.'_

_'What about everything else? hm?' He meant his personality in a whole. His arrogance. Insubordination. Him, Seifer, as a person._

_'We're all flawed, Seifer. This here, all of this,' she had pushed him gently to walk through the entrance of the Garden, 'This is our second chance. To prove that we're more than just young kids.'_

"Now I need that."

Seifer jumped a bit in his seat as a voice came from behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see an instructor jacket make home on an empty seat next to him. That jacket was followed by a hand; it belonged to Squall. He had been hovering over Seifer's shoulder the entire time he was in thought. Squall's eyes were fixated on the weapon monthly page. "How can I order that? What is that? Equip with a shotgun barrel?"

He had picked the issue up from it's place and began to read the article attached to the photo. Seifer looked up at his friend, "Well I guess I could use the help." he said, "I actually don't know where to begin. Who gets what? And how much do I spend?"

Squall had only half listened to his friend. His eyes were glued to the magnificence of the newly issued gunblade. "I need this." he whispered to the page, "Baby, where have you been all my life?"

Seifer laughed under his breath. "Squall, it's just a weapon."

He sucked in a breath and brought the magazine close to his chest. His face was in a mock displeasure, "Rude. It can hear you."

Again, Seifer couldn't help but laugh. Squall joined in, and made the seat next to his friend home. He placed the issue back down upon the desk next to the computers, before looking through the others for anything else of interest. "Glad you can laugh." he said.

"Glad you can be comical."

Out of the corner of his eye, Squall looked at his friend. He half smiled. There was no need to be closed with Seifer. They had broken past the bridge of enemies and found a new light within each other. "Sometimes you need to be." he said.

Seifer nodded in agreement, and reached over to grab an issue for himself. "How are you taking all of this?" Seifer asked, without looking up.

Squall shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He turned a page of the magazine in front of him, but didn't pay much attention to the weapons listed. "It's..." _It's really none of your business,_ he thought to himself, _But __I don't know what to do. _"... I'm still taking it in." he said.

Seifer nodded his head. "I am too." he said in a low voice. "I'm actually afraid."

There was a moment of silence between the two men. Squall had turned his issue back to the page with the remodeled Gunblade article, and sighed. He wasn't sure if he could say his emotions were based off fear, or nervousness. There weren't words to describe how he felt inside, really. He was more or less, in a way, neutral. A part of his mind had reverted to a younger Squall, who did what he was told, and knew there was no other way around it; What was there to talk about? He hadn't always been good at communication. The rest of him worried about his friends, his family. _Rinoa..._ "Remember when we were kids?" he asked suddenly.

"You say that like we're old." Seifer replied.

Squall shook his head slightly, and turned back at his friend, "What I mean is, we kicked each other's asses."

Seifer remembered, and laughed. His hand moved towards the scar on his forehead. "I remember... You said you could kick my ass," he said, "And I kicked yours, that I remember."

"Whatever," Squall said and laughed. "But, I did get you good. And we were fearless."

Seifer looked at Squall, a bit unsure. _Speak for yourself..._ "I wasn't scared then. I am afraid of Ultimecia." His voice trailed off at the end, "I don't talk about it much-"

"So don't." Squall cut him off. It wasn't that he didn't want his friend to vent, or mope. He really didn't need Seifer to take a trip down memory lane, and loose grip of his composure. "You're not that man anymore." he added, for comfort.

Seifer nodded. In his mind, he remember the grip the sorceress once had upon his heart. She controlled his mind, and his body; He still paid for it. He would never admit it, but there would be mornings where he would wake and have an annoying throb in the center of his chest. He would hear voices sometimes; a female's voice. He told himself they were remnants of his nightmares and his restless nights from being alone. This had been occurring for months, and he pushed it away. Yet now, he wondered to himself if it had been signs that she was back - only she gripped his chest and spoke to him in that way. Ultimecia could stop his heart with a squeeze. "I know I'm not. But if she's back, and she makes me that way, I-"

"You wont." Squall cut him off again._ We need to be stronger than this..._ He looked down at the Gunblade article once more, "You should order two of these."

Seifer pressed his lips together. Squall didn't need to say it, he understood what he was trying to do; _ Don't bring it up. Do not be weak. I've grown from that. _"Why should I order two? Do one of your cadets use a gunblade?"

Squall shook his head. He then turned the page of the magazine, and read the next weapon article. "No," he said and pointed to the page, "I will need one of these, though." On the page was a crystal bow and arrow, made of adamantine and steel. It was named Brave. "One of my kids uses a bow, so I'll need this."

Seifer looked at the page, made the note of the weapon, but asked again, "Why should I order two gunblades?"

Squall again turned the page of his weapon monthly issue. With nothing on the article he needed, he looked at his friend. "For you," he said, "Just make sure mine is better."

Seifer didn't blink as he locked eyes with Squall. "I'm not going into battle."

"Yes you are." Squall persisted, "Who said you weren't?"

"Quistis never said that I-"

"Quistis called her own SeeD team. Which consisted of you, Zell and I originally. Why wouldn't she mean for you to take this mission?"

Seifer turned his attention back towards his pen and one of the computers in front of him. On the screen was the a program that he used to order supplies, and inventory; he had opened it earlier to put in the weapons requests. He started to put in the order number for the weapon for Squall's cadet, but didn't answer him.

"Be sure to put in this too." Squall suddenly added. He had turned to page when Seifer turned his attention away from him; the next article had a large, blunt blade. It had a red handle, lined with what appeared to be silver, and the blade itself had a chrome finish. First glance at it, and Squall thought it would suit Zane perfectly. This weapon was named Honor.

"You've already picked your SeeD's then?" Seifer asked.

Squall nodded his head, "Yeah. About half an hour ago. I'll let them know tonight who they are."

Seifer stopped typing on his computer. "Wait." he turned to look at Squall, "You didn't test them? You didn't even ask if they were up for this?"

Squall shrugged. He had leaned against the desk in front of him and put his head in his hands for a moment. The magazines close by shuffled underneath his elbows. "No tests. There's no time. I have too many cadets... But I have these two kids that I can see make it through this." He shifted his face to look at Seifer, "and I shouldn't have to ask. A SeeD does the mission that is given to them."

Seifer couldn't disagree. His focus returned to the order form on the computer screen. "I'll put in the order for two gunblades," he said, "They'll both be the same."

Squall raised his eyebrows, "Sudden change of heart, I see?"

Seifer shrugged. "A SeeD does the mission that is given to them. No questions asked."

_Good job, Seifer..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you Greyshade for your review!**

**Six:**

* * *

"I want you to be extra careful." Selphie said.

She was sitting on a chair in her personal quarters that she shared with Irvine. Her legs were propped up on an ottoman, and around her was a light blanket. In her hands was a mug of tea, of which it's steam moved up slowly from the top and tickled her chin a bit. She was looking at Irvine, he had been leaning against the door frame of the bedroom, almost in silence. He would occasionally make a sound, sort of an acknowledgement, at things Selphie would say. She told him it was fine to do the mission; it was fine to take part in his SeeD duties, and play his role as an instructor at the Garden. She would be alright on her own, she tried to assure him.

"Selphie, I worry about you. And our baby." he said quietly.

"I understand," she said and took a drink from her tea. She learned through the years that Irvine could be very emotional. At the beginning of her pregnancy, and every day after she felt his emotions had reached their peak, almost as if it was he who was pregnant. In a way, she found it attractive. Not once did she dislike his emotional attachment to her. "But how can we raise a baby with no world?"

Irvine looked back at her with a drawn out frown. His hair fell loosely around his face; he had untied his pony tail after parting ways with Zell. "Don't say that."

"It's true." She moved her mug to a small table to the right of her. With her other hand, she began to rub her belly. She heard Irvine sigh, and as she looked up he had taken steps towards her. With an extended hand, he placed his right palm on the very top of her swollen belly. His left hand brushed against her cheek gently. He looked into his woman's eyes with love, and utmost protection, "I picked my cadet." he said.

She nodded her head, glad he had taken himself out of his emotional whirlpool. "Just one?"

Irvine nodded. He knelt down on one knee in front of her to easily rub her belly. "Just one," he said, "Bruce."

Selphie raised her eyebrows, and couldn't help but laugh. Her laugh was loud, and surprised Irvine. He had to smile; in a moment like the situation they were placed in, it was good to see that Selphie still had the ability to laugh. "Bruce? Doesn't he remind you of someone?" she said.

Irvine shook his head, completely oblivious. "I don't reckon I do..."

Selphie laughed again. She moved Irvine away from her, just a bit, so she had room to stand. The blanket that was wrapped around her fell upon the ground with a light thump. With both of her hands extended to the ceiling, she stretched and said, "He boxes, sort of. He kick boxes. He's... physical. He's short. He's..."

Irvine shrugged his shoulders as he understood what she meant, "...Zell." He couldn't help but laugh; she made a good point. As much as he hated to admit out loud, Zell was probably his closest friend out of their close knit group. It only made sense that he would pick a cadet with similar characteristics.

Selphie allowed herself to stretch one last time before giving her back a good crack. She looked back at Irvine, and smiled. Very rarely did she get to see his hair in full beauty; she longed to run her fingers through it. "Let's go get dinner." she said with a small hop.

Irvine picked the fallen blanket off the floor and tossed it into their room. He had forgotten the time. After he had came up to their quarters, he sat at the table with his head in his hands. He spent every minute attempting to prepare himself for what was ahead. Who knew when they were leaving? How soon would Quistis get a hold of other gardens? If it hadn't been for Selphie, he would probably had fallen asleep in that thoughtful position. "I could eat a cow." he said.

"Well I'm not edible!" Selphie exclaimed, heading towards their main door. Irvine couldn't help but laugh, and quickly move over to her and wrap his arms gently around his wife. Very quietly in her ear he whispered, "I love you..."

* * *

Squall avoided the cafeteria. The smell of steak and potatoes had drifted into the garden in strong waves; dinner time. He told himself _now is not the time._

He had actually made his way towards the training center that night. His mind was rushing with thoughts; memories. On the way there, he had stopped to look out one of the Garden's many windows. The moon, like the night before, was high in the night sky. He could see it clearly, surrounded with millions of small stars. He allowed the moon's rays to hit his face, regardless of the brightly lit Garden, and felt a temporary calm.

A calm he needed; he had sent word to Ellone.

When Seifer had relinquished the computers in the library, he quickly typed up his message: _Ellone, it's Squall. I'm sure Quistis responded to your message, but I have one of my own. A request. Please, if you have any spare moments, try your hardest to locate Rinoa. I never asked before, because as much as it hurt, I didn't want to upset her life - whatever life that is. But now, Ultimecia is back... and you, please, locate her. Protect her. Tell me where she is._

"Sir Squall!" he heard a voice call his name.

He pulled his attention from the windows, and turned around to see Zane jogging his way. He was dressed in normal clothes, with his curls bouncing around his face. In his hand he carried a letter; Squall's letter. Squall had sent notices out right after he sent his message to Ellone. "The note does say to meet me inside the training center, not outside."

Zane caught up to his instructor within seconds. To their right was the center's doors. He gave the entrance a glance, and looked back at Squall, "I would have met you inside, if you were inside, Sir." he said with a half smile.

Squall closed his eyes, and shifted his jacket around his shoulder. _You're too much like me..._ "I can take away the letter."

"No!" Zane's eyes went wide, and he gave his instructor a polite and respectable bow, "I'm sorry, Sir. Shouldn't have said that."

This only made Squall laugh. As his cadet's head was bowed, he gave the boy's curls a quick ruffle and tapped his shoulder for him to stand straight again. "It was a joke. And when we're not in class, right now to you, I am Squall."

Zane slowly raised his head first, then raised the rest of his body. He looked at his instructor's face, and saw Squall had spoke with utmost seriousness. _No more Sir's. _"Understood, Si- Squall."

"Right." he said, and motioned Zane to follow him through the doors. The boy kept close; in his hand, he held the note Squall had sent tightly. So tight it was crinkled in his palm.

Inside, Squall could hear the yells of a young girl. Not painful yells, or fear. No, they were victorious yells; battle cries. As they reached the open area of the training center, it was clear who's voice they had heard.

"Kila." Zane said to himself. It was clear he wasn't the only cadet Squall had chosen, and this - having caught her in mid training - was probably a lot more presentable than having run up to his instructor and cracked a small joke.

"I did say there was no test." Squall said to the young girl as he walked towards her. She had stopped her mock battle; she hadn't been fighting a fiend, but had practiced some of her acquired skills. There was a tree near by that was riddled with arrows from her bow. "Sorry, Sir." she said with a bow, "But I wanted to be as prepared as possible."

Squall nodded. He placed his jacket on a stone near his foot. He slid both of his hands up his face and through his hair as he took in a breath. "Not complaining," he said, "And like I told Zane, as of now, right here... I'm Squall. No more Sir."

Kila blinked her eyes repeatedly and looked over at her fellow cadet. Zane nodded in agreement, and shifted his head in Squall's direction. He mouthed the word _Yes._ "But Sir-"

"Ah," Squall shook his hand at her, "The Sir thing, I honestly hate it. If we are doing this, and I will traveling with you - if travels will happen - I refuse to be called sir. I hate formalities. It urks me." he said.

Kila nodded her head. Who was she to argue with her instructor? "Got it." she said.

"I want us to feel comfortable around each other. You two will take a step up from being students, to becoming soldiers." he said, "And I want you two to act like it."

Zane was effortless in that field. He had made his place next to Kila, and had already stood with his head straight, hands behind his back. It worked in his favor that his father was a Galbadian solider; he was raised to be strong, to take direction, and give flawless execution. "Did you both read my note?"

Zane and Kila nodded their heads.

"Good," Squall said. He looked around the training center, and let the smell of the plants calm him. "I've chosen both of you, and only you two, to be_ my_ SeeDs. Everything we discuss as we remain at the Garden is to be regarded as confidential."

Again, Zane and Kila nodded their heads.

Squall, like he had done earlier, dug deep inside himself to try and find the words to describe the mission. To explain why the Garden was in sudden need of actual SeeDs, and not a whole school of minor cadets. He figured the easiest way was to say it as simple as possible. "We received notice from Esthar that Ultimecia is alive."

Kila's mouth dropped open slightly. Her professional composure fell flat, and her hands shifted up into her blonde hair where she gave it a gentle tug. "Wha...?"

"Wait," Zane shook his head, "I thought Esthar was-"

"Doesn't matter what you thought," Squall said firmly, "I know what you thought, and whatever the two of you think you know, I need you to forget it all. You're going to learn the truths of everything going forward."

"Shouldn't an army be involved?" Kila asked.

"I'm sure they will be," Squall said, "But an army, or armies as I'm sure is being prepped, will not be enough. They've called upon us."

"SeeDs?" Zane asked.

"Yes, and no." Squall said. "They called upon Quistis... Headmistress Trepe, Instructor Kinneas, Instructor Dincht and I... we were the SeeD members that aided in Ultimecia's initial destruction."

"But she wasn't really destroyed if you just said she was alive..." Kila said quietly.

_I wish they would just listen. Shit. _"That's what we're trying to figure out. Today we decided we needed to actually establish SeeDs to the garden once more... and aid us with this."

Zane felt a surge a pride flow through his body. He had been picked, hand picked by Squall Leonhart himself. Instructor Leonhart... the greatest fighter within the Garden. Kila, on the other hand, felt a mixture of confusion and fear. She remembered the stories she heard of the sorceress. She remembered the small things her parents would tell her; she was too young at the time to retain any memories of the actual war. "But we're not ready, Squall..." she said in a nervous voice.

Squall heard it. He thought of what Seifer had told him; How he just assumed they would be his SeeD, no questions asked. "I can give you the option to opt out."

Before Zane or Kila could say a word, Squall added, "But I've already ordered your SeeD weapons. Newest issue of Weapon's Monthly had something for you both."

Kila looked at her shoes for a second; he blonde hair covered her face almost entirely. She couldn't tell Squall 'no,' what kind of cadet would she be? He saw strength in her; He saw bravery. She could not back down from the offer. "I would never opt out." she said as she raised her head to look back at her instructor.

Zane nodded in agreement. He had moved his hands from his back and into his front pockets. Inside, he was beaming. "I accept this honor. I will make you proud."

Squall looked at both of his young cadets. He allowed the small smile he felt build up inside form on his face. With his arms crossed in front of his chest, he nodded his head. "I knew I made a good choice."

This only fed the young SeeDs egoes. They looked at one another with a smile. Together, they each extended a hand and shook the others. "We're a team, I guess." Kila said.

Zane nodded his head, "Guess we are."

"Good. You will need to be friends." Squall said. He did smile. Inside, he was pleased that it went so well. He knew it would. He had put his faith in the two. They were the strongest out of his class, and always followed direction; they also happened to be part of the few that scored the highest in exams at the Garden. Squall knew when he submitted their names to Quistis the next morning, she would be pleased with his choice. _Or she'll just have to deal with it._

"Dismissed," Squall said, "I'm sure you're both hungry, and I did call you away from dinner."

Kila smiled at him, and nodded her head. She hadn't noticed that her stomach had been growling. "I'll get to that..." she said with a small laugh as her hand rubbed her stomach. She made the motion to bow to Squall, but remembered his hate for formalities, and stopped herself. She settled for a head nod and a wave, to which Squall accepted and returned with his own head nod. "Kills." he said quietly, with a small smile as she left.

Zane watched as Kila was out of view, and stepped close to his instructor. He pushed the note that he still held within in his into his pocket. "Squall?"

Squall blinked at the boy. "What is it?"

"This is really an honor." Zane said. He moved a hand through the curls on top of his head, "It really is."

Squall nodded at his SeeD. "I'm glad you're honored," he said, "And you'll love the weapon I had ordered for you."

Zane, who loved the sword his father had given him, was actually excited to have a newer weapon. Something specifically ordered just for him, "Is it me?" he asked.

Squall laughed a bit. He reached down to the rock and retrieved his jacket. He slipped it on swiftly, and motioned Zane to follow him out of the training center. He couldn't ignore the sounds of his own hunger. "It's all you," he said, moving his hands to draw the shape of the weapon in the air, "Red, with a chrome finish. It's a beauty."

Zane's eyes went wide, and he couldn't contain the smile that lit his face. "Oh, man!" he exclaimed, "Thank you, Sir!"

_Old habits die hard, huh? _Squall couldn't help but laugh. He pulled Zane in close by his shoulder and gave him a friendly shake, "It's Squall. Now let's go eat."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you Rebekka for your review! :)**

**Seven:**

* * *

Squall took the time during dinner to really get to know his knew SeeD soldiers. Once in the cafeteria, they had claimed a table at the far end and sat together. Zane had tried to ask questions about the upcoming mission, and Squall stopped him immediately. _Let's just have a normal dinner,_ he told him.

And they did. Steak, potatoes, vegetables and cake were served for dinner that night. Squall always said that Fujin had completely changed the food at Balamb once he returned as a Cook. He could have been anything else, but after taking a few learning courses in Balamb, he wanted to put his newly acquired culinary skills to use. The only menu item Fujin had kept were the Garden's infamous Hotdogs; who was he to remove the most favorited food item ever?

Throughout the night, Squall learned that Kila had always been drawn to battle, even as a child. Weapons, magic, war documentaries on television; she was drawn to everything. It was her parents who decided to enroll her into Balamb Garden. They figured it would be good for her, and their plants - whom which she said, that they said, she destroyed...regularly. And as they owned a home in Balamb, she would be close enough to visit, vice versa. Zane, on the other hand, was taught battle; he didn't have much of a choice. Squall knew of his father, a top Galbadian soldier and instructor at the Galbadia Garden. He had learned that Zane, in fact, was born on the Garden and raised in it's quarters. When Squall asked how did he come across Balamb instead, Zane had smiled brightly - _I heard that THE Squall Leonhart had open slots in his advance cadet class... I begged my father for a transfer, and well, my father isn't one to hinder my development in battle. So it was finalized._

Squall was surprised, and flattered in a way. It just seemed to have fallen on his lap that his two top SeeDs, or who he would assume would be the top SeeDs once the process was finalized, had the blood for battle coursing through their veins. This made the thoughts of war a lot easier on him. He didn't have to worry about weakness. He hoped fear would be minimal.

"So tomorrow then?" Zane asked as they had finished dinner, and walked out of the cafeteria.

Squall rubbed the top of his head. He was tired. "Yeah, yeah..." he said. The full sensation in his stomach clouded his thoughts, "Uh... I'll notify Quistis bright and early, and I'll send you two notices from there."

Zane and Kila were satisfied with the answer. They parted ways, with Zane heading left and Kila heading right, and Squall stood still in the center of the Garden hallway. A small burp bubbled up from his chest, and he could smell the odd scent of digested - or digesting - meat. _I need to get to bed..._ he thought to himself, and turned towards his quarters.

It had grown late, and the halls were empty. He had spent well over the allotted time in the cafeteria with his two students that most of Balamb Garden had fallen asleep. He felt getting to know them on a different level was crucial, so he didn't mind the time. With the lights dimmed through the halls, Squall allowed the rays from the moonlight to suckle his skin as it graced him through the window panels. He wanted to get to his quarters, find his bed, sleep and wake in prayer that Ellone would have returned his message. Even through the laughs and quality time he had spent with Zane and Kila, Rinoa stayed in the back of his mind.

"Squall?"

He shook the grogginess from his head as he heard his voice. He saw Irvine exiting the personal quarters area with his rifle in hand; he looked confused. "Hi Irvine."

"Aren't you in your room already?" he asked.

Squall knitted his eyebrows together as he shared his friend's confusion. "No... why? Where are you going?" he added just after, noting the rifle and the leather gloves that Irvine wore.

Irvine looked down at himself, and back up at his friend. "I was going to train..." his voice trailed off for a second as he turned his head to look back into the personal quarters area, "But your door was open and I-"

"My door was what?!" Squall didn't bother to listen to what else Irvine had to say. He bolted down the hall and into his personal area. Just outside his main door, he saw it was indeed open. Just a crack. His heart was hit with full adrenaline, _who the hell is in my room? _

It was a moment he wished he carried his gunblade around like he used to. He extended his hand to his door knob, and gave the door a small push to further open it. Inside, it was dark. He stuck his head in first, but saw nothing. No one. _Did I just forget to lock it, _he thought to himself. He couldn't have. He was always so careful.

Slowly, and with utmost caution, Squall stepped inside his quarters and shut the door behind him. He never turned his head away from looking inside and around, but moved his hand behind him to turn the lock shut on the knob; If someone was inside, he would make it difficult for them to get out.

Again, his eyes scanned the room with zero light. He could make out the shadows from his belongings due to the moonlight creeping in through some of the windows, but with his curtains drawn shut, the light was scarce. "Hello?" he questioned the darkness.

No reply.

He didn't expect to get one. What intruder would announce themselves? Next to his main door was a small end table and on top was a small decorated lamp; with a flick of his thumb he turned it on. The light was dim. He had told himself to change the bulb days before, but as he rarely used the lamp, it slipped his mind. Now that the room was dimly lit, he scanned it again with his eyes. "Hello?" he called out again.

It was then he heard a small rustle in his bedroom. _There you are, _he thought to himself. With careful and quiet steps, he walked through his small living room towards his bedroom. He made sure to stop twice by his small couch, just enough to shift aside and hide himself, with still enough room to peak inside of his room. However, he couldn't see a soul. Squall sucked in a deep breath as he prepared himself for the encounter. Inside, he hoped it was just his imagination. That maybe, just maybe, it was he who left his door open.

"Alright..." he whispered quietly to himself, and quickly rushed into his bedroom. He had left the door ajar earlier, and with full force of his arm it had slammed open. He looked right first at his dresser and closet, and saw nothing but shadows. Yet, as he looked left towards his window, he saw a slim shadow in the far corner. He squinted his eyes in the darkness, trying to see who or what it was. His left hand reached to flip the light switch, but the shadow spoke, "Don't."

It was a woman's voice.

Squall's heart stopped; it wasn't just any woman's voice. It was Rinoa's voice. He couldn't see her in the darkness, but as he forced himself to focus, it was indeed her. That was her silhouette. And that was indeed her voice. "R-Rinoa?" Squall stuttered.

The shadow stepped forward, and as it hit the gentle rays from the moon near the window, she was clearly in view. Her hair was cut short around her face, and she wore all black. She looked a bit different, but she was still his Rinoa. Squall couldn't control his emotions; his mouth parted as he found himself sucked into her beauty, and his mind felt lost in his still apparent love for her. He let his eyes look her up and down, trying to prove to himself that it was not a dream. She was indeed standing in the room that they had once shared. "Hello, Squall." she said in a soft voice.

He ignored his rush of anger and sadness, and moved towards her. Regardless of his emotions, he had still been very worried about her throughout the day. He cupped her face softly in his hands. He inspected her: her face, her shoulders, her arms. Everything. He tried to spot any type of injury but saw none. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

Rinoa nodded with a smile. She moved her hands from her sides, and wrapped them around Squall's waist. The tips of her fingers pressed into the back of his pants pockets. She moved the sides of her face against the palms of his hands. "I am." she said softly.

Squall felt his skin raise it's temperature. He stared into her eyes for a moment before he spoke. "You need to stay here," he said, "I don't care where you have been or where you need to go, but you cannot leave."

Rinoa seemed lost, in a way. Her smile never fell from her face. She pulled at his pockets, and forced his waist to come close to hers. It was as if she didn't hear what he said. "It's the 24th today." she said, her voice softer than before, almost lustful.

Squall heard the tone of her voice. He wanted with withdraw, but her fingers had slid deep into his pockets that even when he took a step back she followed. As gentle as possible, he shook her head, "Rinoa? Did you hear me? Are you alright?"

"I've missed you..." her dark eyes stared into his huskily. Her lower lip gleamed in the moonlight. Squall spotted the pink tint that sprouted around her cheeks. Something inside of his chest turned in a way that hadn't in years, and his heart felt alive. "Rinoa..." he said softly, "Listen to me... Ultimecia is back. She's alive. You need to stay here with me."

"Because you want me to?" she asked him in a whisper. Rinoa moved a leg forward against his; the tips of her fingers gripped against the back of his pants. She was trying to seduce him.

Squall tried to keep his composure. He couldn't deny the heat that emitted off her; he was attracted to it immediately. After so long, the chemistry they shared hadn't faltered. He tried to tell himself _now is not the time... Rinoa, what's wrong with you? _"Because I need you to be safe." he said, "Tell me where you're staying, and I'll call and cancel your room. I can send someone for your bags. Are you in Balamb?"

Rinoa nodded her head slowly. Just after, she leaned her face in to his neck, and allowed her lips to plant a gentle kiss against his skin. Squall's heart went into an uproar. "Ok..." he said as he breathed out, "What is the room?"

"Seven." Rinoa whispered against his neck. "I'll stay here with you."

Squall fought with himself with all his might. For her to come home from out of the blue, at a time like this, it didn't make any sense. She didn't seem worried, or scared. He had just told her that the worst had happened, and it hadn't hit her. She was far more focused on his neck, and his shoulders. He closed his eyes and could feel her kisses trail around his upper chest. "Rinoa, what's wrong with you?" Squall asked in a whisper.

Rinoa shook her head against his shirt. "It's the 24th." she said.

"I can't.. I..." Squall opened his eyes and looked down into hers. Her eyes were dark, so dark they were almost pitch black and empty. "Rinoa...?"

She moved her hands from his pants and up to his jacket where she slowly pulled it off from his shoulders. "You didn't forget me," she said with a slick smile, "Is that what you were going to say?"

_What's going on? _"No... I wasn't going to say that." _But I did, I did just put you into memory... I've accepted that you were gone._

Rinoa removed his jacket, and let it fall to the ground. The tips of her fingers then trailed up the lines of muscles around his arm. "You could never forget our anniversary." she said, "You were always the first to remind me."

Squall swallowed hard. He felt as if a ball had lodged in his throat; he felt like a shy school boy. He was nervous, confused, and aroused all at once. "I never forgot." he whispered.

"Good." Rinoa leaned up on the tip of her toes so that their lips were an inch away from each other.

"I need to tell Quistis you're alright," he said quietly, "I need to call for your room. Your things."

Rinoa pressed her nails gently into his skin. He responded with a small hiss, although it didn't hurt him. It surprised him. She was different. "Call tomorrow." she whispered against his lips, "Just be with me tonight."

Squall looked into her eyes again, and suddenly felt lost. His mind went blank, and suddenly filled with only memories of their past. He thought back to the first night that he had ever seen her, and how beautiful she was. And now, as she stood in his room - their room - he still saw the same beauty. She had aged into someone different, he saw that. Years apart turned her into a different woman. "Where did you go?" he asked, "Why.. why did you leave me?"

She was his weakness. "Just be with me tonight." she repeated.

It was almost as if her eyes glowed in the moonlight. He took one more look into them, and couldn't hold himself anymore. He moved his hands towards her waist and took her lips with his. Together, they sighed in relief. Her hands pulled at his arms for him to move back, to move with her. Behind them was their bed. He didn't resist; he complied to her every request. He was lost in her kiss... and as they fell upon the bed, he fell into more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight:**

* * *

Squall was stuck staring at his reflection. He was surrounded by black; where he was exactly, he didn't know. In front of him was some sort of mirror. A looking glass. As he turned his head, however, the reflection would ripple like water. It confused him. His eyes darted from side to side, all around the mirror, and he saw nothing but emptiness. It reminded him of something deep within his memories. _Where am I... _he thought to himself.

With his left arm, he reached forward with his fingertips to touch the glass in front of him. Rather than touch a hard surface, his hands hit cold liquid. It was water. _What the hell?_

His hand entered the liquid mirror. On the opposite end, his hand felt cold and frozen; like ice. The muscles inside of his fingers had begun to ache. He groaned in displeasure, and attempted to remove his hand from whatever the mirror was. He couldn't. His wrists to his fingertips were lost inside. He attempted to pull again, and felt a pain shoot up from his hand. "Ah!" he cried out in pain.

_What the hell? What is this shit?_

He pulled at his hand again, and again. Yet nothing. The pain escalated. It felt as though, little by little, something pulled at his skin. As if pulling it away from his bones. Squall dropped to his knees as he fought to free himself. He tried to keep himself calm, but as the pain only intensified, he felt his will power grow thin. He turned and looked around himself; still emptiness. "Help!" he called out to the darkness, "Help!"

* * *

Squall's eyes shot open. He found himself laying on his stomach on top of his bed, with his head facing his bedroom window. It was early morning; the sun had barely risen above the horizon.

He felt weak; drained. He attempted to shift his weight on his bed, and immediately felt nauseated. He groaned against his pillow and shut his eyes. His right hand, which stayed pin beneath his leg, throbbed uncomfortably. _Maybe it just fell asleep..._ he thought to himself, stretching his burning fingers against the warmth of his bed,_ but that dream, it felt so real. _He took in deep, slow breaths as he timed himself to finally get up from his bed. Each rapid movement he tried to make only felt like he would vomit last night's dinner all over his room.

And that's when it hit him... last night...

_Rinoa!_

He quickly pushed himself up on his bed, and sat upon his knees. Immediately, his became dizzy and sick. He covered his mouth with his less painful hand and sucked in his breath. His eyes darted around his bed, and then around his room. No Rinoa. He thought hard to himself..._She was here! Dammit, she was..._

As his breathing slowed, and the vomiting sensation slowly diminished, Squall moved to sit on the edge of his bed. He brought his hands to his face, and sighed against his palm. Could it have all been a dream? He missed her so, so he dreamed he up? _But Irvine said my room was open... I never leave my room open..._ "Shit..." he said under his breath to himself, "You're losing it, Squall."

It didn't take him long to _get it together._ He stood from his bed, and walked into his bathroom. In his normal fashion, he bathed quickly, brushed his teeth and washed his face. In the midst of it all, he stretched the fingers of his sore hand over and over. He assumed he slept on it pretty hard to have had such a dream. Something about it, the mirror, felt so familiar to him...

"Wait..." he whispered to himself as he caught the sight of something blue out of the corner of his eye. Just next to his bathroom, right on the floor, was a small silver ring; a silver ring with a blue gem. He walked over to it, toothbrush still in his mouth, and picked it up to investigate. It wasn't his, no. It was a ring that belonged to Rinoa, and as he looked at it further, turning it from side to side it couldn't have been more clear. It was hers! "She was here..." he whispered.

He darted back into his room, and pulled his blanket from his bed. Her side of the bed was shuffled, and moved; even when Squall slept alone he never ventured onto her side of the bed. He slept pretty still, for the most part. His heart jumped in his chest. It wasn't a dream. She had really been there! The evidence only grew as he saw the corner of a small white paper sticking out from below her pillow. Quickly, Squall pulled it from the sheets and brought it to his face.

_Love you - _it said. He read it over and over.

"I wasn't dreaming..." he said to himself again.

Without a shirt, shoes or socks, Squall ran out of his room and into his quarters. He looked around his kitchen, and small living room, but saw no more evidence of her. Nothing. Not a shirt, not a shoe. He thought hard to himself; their night of passion. He had taken off her clothes, thrown her around his bed, and fallen asleep. Yet, she left nothing but a ring, and a note. "But why... why did you leave?"

He didn't wait. He darted from his quarters and left the personal area of the Garden. With top speed, he ran past the few students who woke early in the morning and headed towards the elevator. He nearly slid as he reached its steps. He pushed the button to take him towards the headmistress' quarters, and his impatience dug into his chest. It hurt; it was only caused by his rapid breaths. And as the elevator doors opened, he jumped inside and repeatedly pushed the button for the top floor. Somewhere inside his mind, like a child would think, he figured the more he pushed it, the faster he would arrive.

"Quistis!" he called out as he reached the top. He jumped from the elevator, and into her office only to find that she wasn't there. He looked towards his left, and her personal area was also empty. "Quistis?!" he called again.

"Woah!" came her voice. She stood to the right of him, exiting from her small restroom. She was dressed in normal attire for once, a regular white shirt and blue tights. On her feet she wore slippers, bunny slippers to be more exact. Squall stared at the small, faux animals that covered her feet for a moment before looking into her eyes, "Rinoa." was all he said.

Quistis blinked at him, confused. She realized he had caught her in her sleeping attire and flushed pink, just a bit. However, she wouldn't let it phase her position as his headmistress and employer, and walked over towards her desk where she had a cup of tea waiting. "Did you dream about her?" she asked.

Squall shook his head, "No. She was here."

Quistis looked at him quickly, "What?"

"She was here. Last night, in my room. Just after dinner."

Quistis couldn't believe what she was hearing. She thought long and hard but looked back at her old friend, "But no one informed me that visitors had entered the Garden. You know I'm always told-"

"Look!" Squall reached into the pocket of his pajama pants, and pulled the ring out. With it in the palm of his hands, he pushed it into Quistis' face. She jumped slightly as he startled her, but focused on the small piece of jewelry. It was something she did remember to be Rinoa's favorite. "Are you sure she didn't leave it before... when she had left?" she said, meaning years before.

Squall shook his head. With his other hand, he dug again into the opposite pocket where he withdrew the handwritten note. The 'Love you.' "Look." he said again.

Quistis stared at the piece of paper, but only for a moment. After a minute, she moved away from Squall and shifted to sit on the seat next to her desk. She brought the cup of tea to her lips, and sipped. To her disgust it had already grown warm; more cold, really. "Why are you sitting? Why the hell aren't you calling someone?!"

Squall couldn't understand how Quistis wasn't jumping to find her. Rinoa was her friend after all! How could she just sit back and drink tea? "She told me she was staying at Balamb. Room seven in the hotel. I can call-"

"Squall, calm down..." Quistis said. Her eyes were full of worry as she looked at her friend. His hair was a mess. On the side of his mouth was the white residue from what she assumed was toothpaste. She looked him up and down, at his lack of shoes, socks or a shirt and sighed. "Look at yourself..." she whispered.

She was worried that he had lost his mind. He had done this to her before, right after Rinoa had left him initially. It had been a month or so, and Squall had ran up into her office, just as he had done, and claimed Rinoa was in his room. He showed her clothes, and a pair of shoes; he was in tears. It took her and Irvine two days to calm him, and to help him realize it was all just an extremely vivid dream. Rinoa was really gone; she was not coming back. "Squall..." Quistis' whispered.

Squall did look at himself. He looked down at his feet, and wiggled his toes against Quistis' cool floor. He hadn't realized that he had ran out of his quarters barely dressed, and without shoes. He thought back to the cadets he had passed, and thought they probably assumed he went mad. Why would an instructor run through the halls of the Garden, barely dressed, with tooth paste dripping from his mouth at the early hours of the morning? He made no sense, not even to himself. It took a moment to let it sit in, but he realized his old friend was right - he needed to calm down. He let the ring and note drop from his hands, and slowly moved to sit next to his friend. "I'm sorry." he said.

Quistis' extended her hand to touch his, "It's alright. Maybe, maybe it was all a dream."

He shook his head. _But I didn't dream about this.. I dreamt about... "_Maybe it was." He had learned over the years to just agree, even if he felt otherwise. It was in those times where he felt like his old, quiet self.

Quistis gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "It's alright. I do have some good news... if it would cheer you up."

Squall didn't feel like anything would. He nodded, but in the back of his mind he wanted to run back to his quarters and call Balamb Hotel. He wanted to call for room Seven. He wanted to see if she was there; to see if he had really been dreaming. "The Gardens' have sent their notices," Quistis said just after Squall nodded, "They will assist us. With everything. We're to meet Trabia in Timber."

"Trabia?" Squall asked. _Out of all the Gardens to meet up first..._

"Yes," Quistis said with a nod, "They were the first to respond with a close location. Galbadia would meet us later as they would need more time to prepare. But, according to Trabia's headmaster, they could have a SeeD group meet you there within a days time."

"A day? Isn't that kind of soon?" Squall asked. The toothpaste around his lip had started to dry, and he felt it. With his free hand, he wiped it off his skin as best he could.

"Ultimecia is back... nothing is too soon."

Squall nodded; she was right. The sooner they were dispatched, and ready for battle, the sooner it would all end. They needed to put an end to Ultimecia, again, and save the world... again. When he said it in his mind, he hated it. He had felt peace within the world for so long...

"I'll need to tell Ellone what our plans are and keep her updated." Quistis said.

As she moved to grab a phone from her desk, Squall squeezed her hand that he hadn't released, "I can call her," he said quickly, "It would do me some good."

Quistis looked at Squall, but didn't protest. She nodded at him; whatever he felt would make him feel better, and get his head right she would let him do. And if talking to an old friend would do it, than so be it. "Alright." she said, "Just do it as soon as possible."

Squall nodded at Quistis, and gave her a small smile. "And put on some clothes." Quistis said with a laugh.

Squall looked back at his headmistress for a second, and smiled. Inside, he felt unsure.

_Rinoa... I've got to talk to Ellone._


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine:**

* * *

"I need these!"

Zell sat back as he let his cadet search through weapon's monthly. She was tall and slim, one of his older cadets. She wore her long black hair in a french braid daily. Her name was Veronica; She was the most accurate and mature cadet he had in his classes. However, at the moment, he begged to differ.

He had sent her a notice in the morning via email. His email was simple and lacked detail. He specifically stated in said email that he would discuss all details that he was made aware of once they met up in the afternoon. Veronica, on the other hand, could not wait. It wasn't more than ten minutes after Zell had sent the email that he heard a frantic knock at his door. He had made himself comfortable in his room, still in his pajamas, when it had come. Of course, he had thought it was an emergency. Zell had jumped from his bed, and shot to his door only to find Veronica standing there with the email he had sent printed on paper. She pressed it to his face, _When do we start?!_ She didn't ask any other questions.

"All of them?" Seifer was with them. He looked down at the issue of weapon's monthly, and noted the sniper rifle she had picked. Next to the rifle was a recommended set of ammo infused with the power of ice. "Yes!" Veronica exclaimed as she turned her attention to Seifer, "I will be the baddest shot ever!"

Seifer raised his eyebrows high. He looked at Zell, who sat without a word close by, and mouthed the word _her?_ Zell only nodded with a sigh. He was normally the childish one, or the excited one. But Veronica had him beat. Sure, she did use a rifle or a revolver just as Irvine did, but she shared Zell's personality; apparently. He had never seen this side of her. Perhaps it would work in his favor to have a SeeD so keen to fight. "Well," Seifer pulled the magazine from the girl's grasp and filed it away back into the stack he had around the library desk; he still had the library held _hostage_ in a way, "I'll be sure to order these as soon as possible."

Veronica beamed excitedly at Seifer, and gave him a polite bow. Her braid flopped from her back, and over her shoulder. "Thank you, Sir." she said.

"Oh there's no need to call me Sir." Seifer said with a laugh, "I'm not an instructor."

Veronica shook her head, "Oh, but you don't need to be. All adults at the Garden are to be treated with respect." She repeated what Quistis told all new recruits when entering Balamb -_ the adults at the garden are your parents away from home. _Seifer couldn't help but smile. It was nice to be treated well. "Well, I guess I wont stop you." he said to her.

"Veronica." Zell called to her after she nodded at Seifer and turned to walk away.

"Yes, Instructor Dincht?"

Zell smiled at his SeeD member. He stood from his chair, and extended a hand towards her. She looked at his hand for a second before she grabbed it, and gave it a gentle shake. "I will inform you with any updates." he told her, "So always be on the alert. Just in case we suddenly have to leave."

Veronica nodded, and gave her instructor a bow. "Yes, Sir." she said, and turned to leave the Library. Once out of ears length, Seifer leaned close towards Zell, "Her?" he asked again, as he did earlier.

Zell laughed slightly, "Yeah... her." he said. He turned and faced Seifer, who had an odd smirk on his face, "What?"

Seifer couldn't stifle his laugh, even though he tried. He leaned his weight on the desk behind him, "She fights like Irvine. I figured you would pick a brute like yourself."

Zell scoffed, "You're one to call someone a brute."

In his defense, Seifer moved his hands in front of his face and laughed again, "I'm joking. But you know what I mean."

Zell closed his eyes with a sigh and smiled a bit, "Yeah, I know."

He knew. He didn't do it intentionally, Veronica was the best candidate he had to choose from. It was just the mere coincidence that she sported a gun as choice, and was a master sniper. It made it all the better that she carried so much respect for herself and others. "Did you tell Irvine who you picked?" Seifer asked suddenly as they had grown quiet.

Zell shook his head. He moved back to the seat that he had sat in moments before, and slumped back against it. He allowed his head to fall as far back as possible so his eyes stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't help but notice one of the library bulbs were out, as random as that was. "I didn't," he said as he focused on the light above him, "I don't know who he picked either."

Again, Seifer couldn't stifle a laugh. This laugh was louder than it had been before. So loud, he heard the women of the front desk shush him. Zell lifted his head a bit to look at him, "What's so funny?"

Seifer shook his head, "Oh, nothing. You'll find out. Just wait."

Now he had Zell's full attention. He sat up straight in his seat, and put his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants. His eyes stared hard at Seifer, "No tell me now."

Seifer shook his head again, "Not going to happen."

Zell then jumped from his seat and positioned himself to fight Seifer. This only intensified the moment, and Seifer flopped back on a chair in yet another loud laugh. "Hey!" he heard the women call from the front, "keep it down back there!"

He pressed his palm to his mouth, "Just ask Irvine later." Seifer said, muffled under his hand.

Zell, who realized his behavior was useless, nodded and sat back down on his chair. "Right... is there anything in there for me?" he asked, motioning his head towards the weapons monthly issues.

Seifer nodded. He leaned back in his seat, and reached to pull an issue from the middle of the stack. He glanced at the one he pulled, realized it was the wrong one, and reached to grab another. The issue was purple, and was dated for March. "Here." he said, "Page four."

Zell pulled the magazine from Seifer's hand and turned to the page he suggested. Right at the top of the page were a set of white gloves, equipped with metal knuckles. In the fine print it stated each of the knuckles were dipped and stained with a poisonous material - _Bound to make anyone sick!_ \- the caption read - _poison with every blow! _Zell felt as though he just looked at a giant chocolate cake with the works, "Woah... I need this."

Seifer nodded, and with a smile said, "I already ordered it for you. I figured you would like it."

Zell looked at Seifer with big eyes, "Really?"

Seifer nodded at his friend. They had come a long way from their past. There were days were they shared their differences, but at the end of it all they could enjoy each other's company without too much of a fight. They weren't as close as the others, but compared to the severe hate they had for one another before, moments like this were a big step forward. "You're welcome." Seifer said.

Zell couldn't help but smile, and excitedly searched through the issue. "Hey," Seifer said to him as he turned another page, "Does everyone feel like I should fight this?"

Zell didn't look up. "Fight what?" he asked.

"This... mission." Seifer said, trying not to speak of the matter out loud. He was sure cadets were just out front.

Zell still didn't look up. "Why not?" he asked.

Seifer pressed his lips together until they were uncomfortable. A apart of him didn't understand it. "I mean, you even told your SeeD that I would fight this."

Zell finally turned his attention from his magazine, and looked at Seifer. "You don't want to?"

Seifer huffed slightly, "I mean who really wants to..." Zell nodded in agreement as Seifer continued to talk, "But, I just... well, you know. It's me."

Zell blinked, oblivious to what Seifer was trying to say. "Zell," Seifer continued, "I was under her control... and you guys still want me to tag along."

Zell nodded, finally understanding. "Ah." he said, "But they key word is _was._ You aren't any more. You're one of us." he ended with a big smile.

Seifer couldn't argue. It was very clear he was fully accepted amongst everyone. Sometimes he needed a reminder; he wasn't the enemy. "You're right." he said and returned Zell's smile.

"Have you been here all morning?" Zell asked suddenly.

Seifer looked at the desk, his chair and then at the computer, "Since yesterday actually." he shifted his head towards a small love seat set in the corner of the library, "I slept there."

Zell's mouth fell open. He pushed his issue back into the stack of magazine Seifer had on the desk and pulled the man up from his sleeve. Seifer stared at him confused, but didn't fight him. He merely followed Zell out the library as he was told, "Man, that's shit. Let's eat."

* * *

Squall had returned to his room where he changed his clothes and brushed his hair. He wore his black pants and white shirt, he saw no need to dress like an instructor when he had no classes to teach. He wanted to feel as normal as possible. And after the night before, and the morning, he needed some normality. He had placed the note he had found on his dresser. He didn't bother to look at it; Quistis had done the job to convince him it was all a dream. Maybe in his dream he wrote it. He had done that before...

He didn't bother to leave his room. He wanted to call Ellone in private. In his living room he had his own phone, it was one of the more advance in the Garden. Ellone had sent it to him not long before; it was a phone attached to a camera monitor, all the rage in Esthar. _You can see me when we talk! _said the note when the phone had arrived for him months before, _So call me asap ok?!_

He never made a call...

He figured now would be the perfect time.

Squall had never used the device, considering he had only set it up when it first arrived. He had never turned it on, or touched a button. He took a few minutes to find the power button, but when he pushed it nothing happened. It hit him he had never plugged it in either. _Dammit..._ he thought to himself. He took a minute to make sure it was plugged, and had some sort of power light visible. Once he figured it was all set to go, he turned it on. Written in front was Ellone's number; she had probably placed that there before sending him the phone. As smart as Squall could be, everyone knew he was the farthest from tech savvy. He dialed the number on the touch screen when it was prompted. He waited a moment, and a beeping occurred.

"Hello?" came a voice muffled with static.

Squall squinted at the fuzz on the screen as he tried to make out who he was speaking too. "Hello?" he asked the fuzz.

"Hold on."came the voice again. He watched as the image shifted and moved before it came clear. He was welcomed by the smiling face of Ellone. She hadn't changed at all. Her hair was still cut short around her pretty, pale face. He could see her blue and white attire. "Hey there." she said as she smiled, and leaned in towards her screen, "What took you so long to call?"

Squall shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I don't know..." he said.

Ellone laughed slightly. She pressed her hand to her face, and shook her head. "Oh it's fine," she said, "We have more important things to talk about... Any news?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

Squall nodded, remembering the main reason he was suppose to contact her. _Quistis..._ "Quistis has received confirmation from the other Garden's that they will send SeeD's to help."

"Good!" Ellone exclaimed.

"We're to meet Trabia in Timber, " he said, "She is trying to arrange for us to leave as soon as possible."

He watched Ellone nodded repeatedly before she shifted out of view. He squinted at the screen. "Ellone?" he called out.

She popped back into view with a paper in her hand. She didn't look up to her phone as she looked as though she was reading. Squall figured he would get right to _his_ point. "Any news for me?" he asked her.

Ellone looked up at him slightly with just her eyes. She paused for a moment, and Squall could see her sigh. He moved closer towards his screen from his seat, "Ellone..."

Ellone took in a deep breath. She shifted herself straight in her seat, and leaned her head back. She took the moment to stare at her ceiling before looking back at her screen and at Squall, "It's difficult." she said.

Squall shook his head confused, "What do you mean difficult? This is what you do..."

"Well, it isn't so easy." she said.

"But you're the strongest sorceress since-"

"Stop." she cut him off and took in a breath. Squall could see she was frustrated. "Sorry." he said.

Ellone shook her head. "It's ok.. it's just." she looked down at the paper she had in her hands, "It doesn't make any sense."

"She was here last night." Squall suddenly said, "I know she was. Quistis doesn't believe me and you know me I-"

"You're just agreeing." Ellone finished his sentence, more or less.

Squall nodded in agreement. "Right." he said.

Ellone positioned her hands underneath her chin as she looked into her camera, "I sense her... She is alive."

"So she was here?" Squall asked. He shifted even closer to his screen.

"I... I can't confirm that." She said slowly, "But I can sense her... It's weak, but it's there. She's been around Balamb... but she hasn't."

Squall immediately became confused. "What? How does that make any sense?" he thought of hanging up and just calling the Balamb hotel. They would be able to confirm.

"It's like she's not whole..." Ellone said even slower, quieter.

Squall leaned back in his seat. He remembered the night before. She was there, she was whole. Her warmth was real. "Ellone you're not making any sense. I need to know where she went. I need to keep her close, you know what could happen."

"I know..." Ellone sighed, "Look, I'll try again. Later. Right now I've got to send off notice to Laguna about Timber and such. But," she looked back at her camera, "I'll call back, and let you know by tonight."

Squall sighed. He was frustrated and dissatisfied. "Okay." he said. And then he added, "Tell Laguna I said Hello."

Ellone nodded. She didn't say bye with words, but waved her hand at him before leaning in and shutting off her screen. She left Squall looking at a blank monitor. Without much energy, Squall used his foot to pull the power plug from his wall and shut off the phone. He would remind himself to plug it back in again later, he just didn't want to listen to the small static the phone made. _She's not whole..._ he thought to himself, _What does that even mean?_

Squall moved from his chair, and flopped down upon his small couch. His stomach called to him quietly, but he paid it no mind. He thought of the look in Rinoa's eyes. She was lost, in a way. The night before, it was just... he couldn't explain it, not even to himself. But at her touch, he succumbed to her. He needed her. Even then, laying on his couch and thinking of her face, he needed her. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply. _Rinoa... where are you?_


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten:**

* * *

Squall didn't reconnect his phone.

In fact, after laying down upon his couch, he slept until nightfall. He opened his eyes to stare up at his ceiling. Even in the darkness he could make out the subtle designs of paint. It didn't hit him until minutes later that he had missed Ellone's phone call. "Dammit..." He whispered to himself.

He turned his head to look at the digital clock just next to his room lamp and saw the time: 8:00 PM. _Dinner time..._ Squall thought to himself; His belly confirmed his thought with a light rumble. He hadn't eaten all day, and if he didn't get food in his system... He didn't want to think of what would happen if he didn't. He sat up from his couch and rubbed his head gently; with the same hand he ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't bother to look in the mirror. He flattened out the front of his shirt as he sat and stood. He slipped on his shoes quickly and headed out of his door.

It was a Friday night at the Garden, so the halls were full of life. Classes were done for the week, and the cadets were allowed to up and leave as they pleased. It was on the weekends when the city of Balamb was packed with rambunctious teenagers looking for fun; they saw every show, and ate at every restaurant. Triad was played everywhere, and Quistis never protested it as long as gambling wasn't involved. And some even fished near the banks, because they were able to. Every cadet Squall passed was happy, and laughing amongst others in full conversation. He, on the other hand, walked with a straight face through the halls. He wanted to get to the cafeteria, eat, and perhaps just head back to his room for sleep. He was sure in the morning he would receive the notice from Quistis that the trip to Timber was waiting, and he had to leave. There wouldn't be a happy weekend for him, or his SeeDs.

As he walked through the cafeteria doors, he saw everyone. Even the new SeeD cadets. Quistis had pushed together four tables, and extra chairs so they would all share a dinner together. On the center of the table was a wide variety of different foods and desserts. Suddenly, his mouth watered. "Squall!" Quistis exclaimed as he walked towards their tables.

His eyebrows were raised high upon his forehead, "Did I miss something?" he asked.

Quistis nodded with a small giggle; she seemed off, and a little under the influence. At least that was what it looked like. "Yes," she giggled, "I sent word to Zane to get you, but he said you didn't open your door when he knocked."

"You didn't!" Zane added as he heard their conversation. He sat in one of the closer seats around the table. When he caught Squall's attention, he shot him a large smile and proceeded to grab a hotdog.

"There's hotdogs..." Squall said quietly.

Quistis nodded and giggled again. With a lightly made fist, she jabbed her hand into Squall's shoulder. It was playful. He didn't know how to react. His instinct told him to walk away from her, towards food. And he did, but he managed to look back at Quistis once, "Have you been drinking?" he asked.

This sent Quistis into a hysterical laughing fit, and she doubled over with her hands around her stomach. In a way, Squall was mortified, and it was evident on his face. He turned back to the table where everyone sat. Irvine, Zell and Selphie looked highly embarrassed by Quistis' actions. As he looked at their faces, he knew. "She has been drinking, hasn't she?"

"Yeah..." Selphie sighed. She sat on the far end of the table, with a seat near Irvine. They sat that way because her legs were stretched out so both of her feet were on his lap. Irvine, who appeared to be full, had leaned back against his chair and rubbed his pregnant woman's feet. "She called us all down here out of the blue... and when we came, she was like this."

"Seifer said she went to him first." Zell said. He sat next to Selphie with his head in his hands. Squall, who grabbed a hotdog from the center plate the very second he had reached the table, turned to look at Seifer after Zell had mentioned his name. His friend looked up at him wide eyed, "Hey wait... it wasn't me." he said, "She was already like this when she came to my room."

Squall took a bite out of his hotdog, "You didn't supply her?"

Seifer laughed a bit, "Nope. Not this time." he said. Once, a year or so before, Seifer had talked Quistis into a fun night out in Balamb. As friends they went to dinner and shared a few drinks. Seifer thought nothing bad would come of it, but he hadn't known that Quistis' had the lowest tolerance for alcohol known to man. "She had come to my room, and ordered me to arrange dinner, " Seifer continued, "That we had a big day tomorrow."

_So it's official. _"Oh." Squall took another bite out of his hotdog.

"I have never seen this side of our headmistress." Veronica had said. She too was there, of course, as were all the chosen SeeDs. It looked as though she was pulled from her dorm room, as she wore comfortable pajamas. In front of her, on her plate were only fruits.

"She's my SeeD." Zell said noting Squall's oblivious stare in her direction, "Her name is Veronica."

Squall nodded in her direction; it would be rude to talk with a mouth full of food.

"Hello, Sir." she said. _Ugh, Sir..._

"This is my SeeD." Irvine said suddenly. He had pointed to a young boy that sat near Kila in full conversation with her. He seemed smaller than the others, but fit. "His name is Bruce." he said.

"I like him." Zell said, "Good kid."

"I bet you do." Selphie laughed.

Squall had grabbed a seat near his good friends, and looked in Selphie's direction, "What does that mean?" he asked.

Selphie laughed again, and rubbed her swollen belly. "They didn't tell you, huh?"

Squall shook his head slowly, "Haven't seen them," he then reached for another hotdog, and took a bite, "So fill me in."

She fought the urge to laugh again and took in a deep breath. Out of the corner of her eyes, she kept contact with both Zell and Irvine as they stared at her. Whenever she mentioned their SeeDs, they found it annoying. "Bruce," Selphie said, nodding her head towards the young boy, "Likes to fight. He uses fighting gloves, and magic... but he's mainly a fighter. And Veronica," She then nodded her heard in the direction of the tall girl who stared at her fruit, "She's a master sniper, Zell says. Her weapon of choice is any gun of any sort. Remind you of anyone?"

Squall took another bite of his food. And another. He finished his second hotdog before his stomach could register the first. He figured he needed it considering he hadn't eaten all day. "So you two," he motioned his hands to both Irvine and Zell, "Picked each other?"

Seifer laughed now, "Seemed like we're the only ones who really noticed." he said.

Squall nodded, "Seems like it." he added a smile.

Irvine rolled his eyes back into his head, and slumped against his chair. From his throat escaped a sigh. "He's a good kid," he said, "How he chooses to battle is a mere coincidence."

"Yeah!" Zell jumped in, "I mean, hey, she's a good shot. And she's quick to chose items wisely. We need her."

Squall, now, couldn't hold in a laugh. He pressed his head back against his seat, and laughed towards the ceiling. It was good to find something funny. For a second, he forgot about Rinoa...

He opened his eyes from his laughter, and saw that Quistis had made her way back to their table. She was smiling at him, with her eyes closed. Her face was closed to his as she leaned in towards his chair; alcohol was stuck to her breath. "What's so funny?" she giggled.

Squall blinked at her. "To you? Everything, apparently."

Of course she laughed at the remark. In a way, it was relaxing to see her this way. Since Quistis had become Headmistress she had closed up, and become overly professional. To see her relaxed, and goofy, almost like her old self was refreshing. "You're funny, Squall." she giggled.

Squall couldn't hide his smile. He sat up straight in his seat, and grabbed Quistis' hand to lead her into one just next to him; last thing he needed was for her to trip and fall right before they headed out for a big mission. "Relax. Sit." he told her, "Eat something."

Quistis nodded and reached for an apple closeby. "This is our big dinner," she giggled, "We can all be friends." She moved the apple around the table as if it were a drink, and she was able to toast. Everyone looked at her closely. "We're going to save everyone... again."

She had hiccuped. Her hiccup made everyone laugh. In turn, it made her laugh. Squall looked around at everyone, and their cheery faces. It warmed him. Something inside of him didn't feel down, and he didn't have any sort of dread lingering inside. He felt... happy. To have everyone sitting at one table before they left for Timber, and everyone eating food, and enjoying everyone's company. It was nice. For the moment, he felt as though everything would be okay. They would defeat the sorceress and come back home to Balamb to have another dinner, just like this.

He reached forward to grab an apple, just as Quistis did, and pressed it next to hers, "A toast." he said.

Everyone looked at him with wide eyes, but knew what he was trying to do. Quistis was obviously so gone she didn't know there wasn't actually a glass in her hand, and since there were young teens at their table, they had no reason to pull out a bottle to do an actual toast with glasses and all. A fruit in everyone's hand, in a way, made sense. Each reached for an apple, or a pear, or an anything, and extended their hands towards Squalls. Quistis smiled brightly, "Yes, a toast." she said.

"To victory." Squall said.

"To victory." Everyone cheered.

Squall took a moment to look at everyone, and smiled again. He raised his apple a little higher than everyone else's, "To family." he said as he looked at everyone. He lightly pointed his peice of fruit towards everyone at the table.

Everyone smiled. Selphie pressed her other hand against her heart and fought the urge to cry. "To family..." she was the first to repeat.

"To family." Everyone followed.

They each pressed their fruits together, and in unison took a bite.

_Family... Tomorrow is our big day._

* * *

**A/N:**

**Apologize for the short-ish chapter. I did want to add something. The action is soon to come :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven:**

"All the kids are late?" Seifer said.

"Maybe we were wrong..." Zell added with sad eyes.

"Hell, Quisitis is late. Shouldn't she see us off?" Irvine huffed.

The three men, alongside Squall, stood at the entrance of Balamb's Train Station waiting to depart for Timber. They're train had called for boarding four times since they arrived. Squall had to enter the train to ask the conductor to wait. _We're waiting on more people, just give us fifteen more minutes._ "Just shut it." He said under his breath; Squall was annoyed as is. He had woken bright and early, and prepared himself for a busy day. He even prepared a bag of food for everyone, as he was the leader. The weapons were redirected to arrive at Timber, since it was all such short notice, and they would pick them up upon their arrival. He had done everything needed to make sure the day went smoothly. Squall only expected that Quistis would do the same. _We're in the middle of a crisis, Quistis..._

"Maybe she's hung over?" Seifer stepped towards Squall, with his hands in his pockets. He sensed his friend's patient plummet as each minute passed. He tried to ease the moment.

Squall looked at Seifer for a second, and forced a smile on his face, "Maybe."

They both sighed in unison, feeling as though it was no use. Beside them, Zell bellowed at the top of his lungs to release frustration. Irvine had his hands pressed against his eyes, "I could've stayed with Selphie a little longer if it was like this..."

It seemed like forever. The four friends continued to glance up at the Train Station's Departure screen, to see their train being called - again. Even with the cool air, and the sunny skies, their moods were doomed from the moment they reached the station. "Dammit, Quistis..." Squall said under his breath.

It was then that a voice yelled in their direction. Each of the men looked up to see Quistis, and the newly recruited young SeeD's walking towards them with bags. Quistis waved her arms frantically from side to side as she approached them, "I am sorry! So Sorry!"

Squall looked surprised. This would explain why the cadets were late. He straightened himself, and his jacket, and stood directly in front of them. Zane was the first to reach them. He stood straight in front of Squall, placed the bag he held in his hands down upon the ground, and saluted his leader, "Morning, Sir!" he said, "We have a reason behind our-"

"Squall." Squall said in a low voice; He couldn't hide that, despite they're arrival, he was still annoyed.

Zane cleared his throat, "Sorry, Squall. But there is a good why we are late."

Quistis reached them with the three other cadets, who they too placed their bags in front of them. "I thought you told us to pack light." Seifer said as he scratched his head. He pointed at each of the young SeeDs, "What are they carrying?"

Quistis grinned nervously, "Well," she motioned Kila, who stood beside her, to open her bag wide; Inside were sealed cases from weapon's monthly. The bags had their new weapons! "I intercepted your request to send them to Timber, and rushed deliver to the Garden." Quistis said with a nervous smile.

Squall's eyes were wide with surprise. He glanced back at his other friends, and couldn't contain his grin. Inside, he was excited. "Zane," he said towards his SeeD, "Is that bag mine?"

Zane nodded, smiling wide, "Yep. Two gunblades as ordered."

Squall looked at Seifer; In unison, they slapped hands and dove for the bag. Quistis laughed as they appeared like the teenagers they once were. She watched as the rummaged through the bag for their steel cases; There was no need to check which belonged to whom,as Seifer ordered them the same. Amidst the excitement, Zell and Irvine came forward, with their hands behind their heads. "Are our weapons there too?"

Quistis closed her eyes and beamed at them. She pointed towards Veronica, who extended her hands to them to hand her bag over, "All accounted for." Veronica exclaimed.

"Sweet!" Zell jumped into the air with a fit pump, nearly diving into the bag. Irvine couldn't help but laugh. He pulled his friend by his collar, lifting him to a stand. "Hold your horses, now." He laughed and turned his attention back to Quistis, "What of our new team? And their weapons?"

"We got 'em!" Bruce called out; He rose both of his hands in tight fists, already sporting his new knuckles gloves. He couldn't contain his excitement. "I'm ready!"

"Me too." Kila said, showing off her bow. She placed an arrow in its placed, whispered a chant under her breath which caused the arrow to form icicles around it, and let it fly into the sky. Everyone paused in amazement, even Squall, who thought he had seen everything she was able to do. "Kills," He said as he approached her, his new gunblade in hand, and beamed, "Was that-"

"Blizzaga." Kila laughed nervously as she scratched her head, "I sorta mastered it last night. Equipped it the moment I got the weapon this morning."

"Now that was amazing, I'm not gonna lie." Irvine laughed, the astonished expression still on his face.

With everyone huddled together, new weapons equipped and ready for battle, Quistis stood in the center of the group of SeeDs; Both old and new. She looked at each of them with pride. "You all will get a full detailed report upon arrival at Timber. Laguna sent me a message this morning saying he's waiting there, at the Inn in the center of town. What I can tell you all now is..." Her voice trailed off as she bit down on her bottom lip. She tried to find the words to say it. "The normal monsters that ran freely, for some reason - possibly the sorceress' bidding - they've grown in number and have caused damage to some towns. I beg you all to be safe. Be strong. And please, return to the Garden."

Her smile at the end was weak. Squall could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she turned her head away. He couldn't let them depart this way, even if the train was given the final boarding call. He motioned to Zell and mouthed -_Do you still have your camera?_

Zell took a second to decipher Squall's words, but once the motions registered in his mind, he nodded and grinned. "Yo, Quistis," He approached her with a smile, "Chin up, we're taking a photo."

Quistis, who's eyes were red, stared at her friend confused. "What?"

Zell nodded. He looked around him, and spotted a station attendant walking nearby. He called to her immediately, "Hey! You!" Squall rubbed his head embarrassed at Zell's behavior, "Yeah! You! Could you come here one sec?"

The confused girl, pointed at her chest and when Zell nodded, she approached them. "Are you all train B? It's been ready for departure for over 30 minutes now."

Zell nodded his head, shooting away her words, "Well aware. Could you just snap out photo please?" He said and handed her the camera.

The Yong girl stared at it the camera, confused. The young SeeDs, at Zell's command, huddled next to Quistis and we're picture ready. Squall and Seifer shared the same expression as they joined the group. It was Irvine who took the time to tip his hat at the girl, "I do apologize for my friend here. Bit could you? It would mean a lot to us."

At his politeness, the girl complied. She rose the camera to her eyes and waited for the to be ready. A shy, and still teary eyed Quistis stood dead center of the group with her hands in front of her. The young SeeDs had each taken a knee in front, each showing off their newly equipped weapons. Zell clenched his fists as he stood to the right of Quistis, sporting the largest grin on his tattooed face. Seifer had placed an arm around d Squall, and lifted his gunblade into the air. Squall wasn't exactly ready, but smiled and winked once the flash came. The girl pulled the camera from her face right after, and stared into the digital screen. "Looks great." She smiled.

Zell jumped from his position, and thanked the girl with a hug. "Thanks. Means a lot." He said.

She smiled weakly, "Now about the train..."

Squall smiled apologetically at the girl, "Tell your conductor we're boarding now. Promise."

She was happen with that response, and walked away. It was then that Zell turned to Quistis and handed her his camera, "Take it." He said, "Get that developed and have a copy for each of us for when we return."

Quistis wiped her eyes and hugged Zell, hard. "Thank you." She whispered, and glanced at Squall because she knew it was his idea, "And thank you." she said.

Squall shrugged, holding his weapon upon his shoulder, "You're welcome, Quistis." he said with a smile.

Quistis took that second to compose herself. She pushed the young SeeDs gentle onto the boarding platform before looking at the men who were her best friends, "Hurry. Get on board. And be careful. Send word to me once you all have safely made it to Timber."

Squall nodded and waved his hand at her. He was no good at goodbyes, even as Zell, Seifer and Irvine yelled theirs. He simply followed them aboard Train B. His stomach turned as he realized the reality; They were on their way to fight Ultimecia.

* * *

Inside the train was cool and empty. It was booked specifically for them, so if they needed to speak of battle details, no one would over hear. Unfortunately, they knew of no exact details to speak of. Instead, the young SeeDs huddled together, still excited over their weapons. They talked amongst each other, how they assume battle would be, and how they planned to attack. Squall looked upon them as he leaned against a window; The excitement kept him calm. If they had the will to fight, he should to. He was never that excited. He remembered his first SeeD mission, and deep inside that day, he was a nervous wreck.

"Selphie loves trains..." Irvine said as he moved to the window Squall leaned against.

"Yeah." Squall smiled as he remembered, "She used to stand next to a window the whole ride and sing her songs."

Irvine kept his eyes upon the scenery that zoomed by, "I could see why. It is amazing to look at."

Squall couldn't help but turn to stare out the same window. He watched the empty plains and trees outside dart away as the trained sped on. The blue of the sky was mesmerizing. He watched the clouds as they shaped themselves in the wind. Irvine was right, as was Selphie - Trains were amazing.

"How much longer until we reach Timber?" Seifer approached them from the other end of the train, "Feels like we've been on here forever."

Irvine laughed as he looked down at his wristwatch, "It's only been half an hour. It'll take us... roughly three hours to get there."

Seifer sighed in detest. He turned his attention to Squall, who hadn't moved his head from the window, "You said you packed some food, right?" he asked him.

But Squall didn't respond. The train had entered the tunnel that connected Balamb to Galbadia, and though the tunnel and train were lit, Squall saw a strange darkness lingering outside the train. He could hear his friends talking to him, and Irvine saying his name over and over, but he couldn't turn his head. The shadow was close, hovering near the window. He squinted his eyes at it as he tried to make out what it is. Was it a new monster? _What is that..._

"I told you to stay with me." he heard a distant voice. Behind him. He turned around slowly, only to find himself alone in the train car. His heart stopped as fear crept hold. He pressed his hands to his head as he felt sick. He had to be dreaming. Had to be.

"You said you wouldn't forget me." The voice said again. It was a woman's voice. Very quiet. Very far away.

"R-Rinoa..." he hissed as his head pounded. He stumbled back against the glass. A loud bang sounded in his ears, and a white light flashed before his eyes. He couldn't fight the pain that surged through his body. As he screamed and dropped to his knees, he heard a cackle near his ears. _You're never going to find her..._

_Never... She's gone, Squall. She's gone!  
_

_Squall! Squall!_

"Squall!"

Squall felt his shoulders moved frantically. Someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes weakly, only to find he wasn't alone. He was on his knees, and before him was Seifer. Zell and Irvine were at his sides. He stared at friend in the eyes as he heard him call his name once again. "Squall! Snap out of it!"

Behind him, he saw the young SeeDs starring at him. Worried. He felt sick. He tried to shake the feeling but couldn't. "Rinoa..." he said quietly, and closed his eyes. When he went to open them again, he felt he couldn't. They had grown heavy. He groaned under his breath, but couldn't hear it.

All he heard was silence. And darkness.


	12. Chapter 12

Twelve:

_"Your hands are so much bigger than mine."_

_"I'm a man, Rinoa. They're suppose to be."_

_Squall smiled at the sound of Rinoa's laugh. They laid outside, upon a blue picnic blanket, enjoy the sun and cool wind. She had made them a lunch that consisted of sandwiches __and small fruit. Squall had received notice from Quistis that morning, congratulating him on having cadets that were top scorers at Balamb Garden. He was the first instructor to do so since, well, Quistis. He accepted it as a big honor. And Rinoa thought it was best to celebrate. She knew he wasn't big on parties or balls, and preferred quiet time to himself. So what better way than a lovely picnic just near the Balamb forest, just the two of them?_

_"Well I think my father has small hands." Rinoa smiled as she moved hair from her face; the wind was constant, and she had given up maintaining the hairstyle she had given herself that morning._

_"Well," Squall pulled Rinoa to lay down next to him, and look at the sky; He positioned her hand with his, and patted their fingers, this way they could see the clouds move in between the gaps, "I guess you have your father's hands, don't you?"_

_Rinoa giggled and shook her head, "Oh no! His hands were still pretty manly, just small." She said._

_Squall smiled softly as he turned to look into the eyes of his love, "You're pefect the way you are."_

_A flush of pink tinted her cheeks. She could help but lose herself in his eyes, in his smile. She pulled her hand from his, gently, and traced the scar on his face, "It's starting to go away." She said._

_Squall tried to look up, but instead crossed his eyes. Rinoa couldn't contain her laugh, which only made him laugh. He reached for her hand, moved her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently, "It will always be there, even if it's lighter."_

_"Well," Rinoa scooted closer to him, shifted the blanket beneath them, "You're still the most handsome guy here, you know?"_

_Squall grinned, "Am I?"_

_Rinoa nodded._

_"Whatever." He laughed._

_Rinoa playfully slapped him on his shoulder. Squall smiled at her; She was so beautiful. He thought back to when they first met, and who would've known she would end up loving him. Squall, the quiet, anti social member of the group. The one who left without a word. It was Rinoa who brought him back. She said everyone was worried about him, everyone missed him - her included. If it wasn't for Rinoa, who knew where he would've been. He returned to the Garden, he returned to his SeeD duties. He became too instructor, all with her help. _

_"Thank you." He said quietly as he placed his hand behind her head._

_A confuse frown spread across her face, "For what, Squall?"_

_'For believing in me...' "Never mind." He grinned, and pulled her in for a kiss._

* * *

"How long as he been this way?"

Laguna stood at the doorway of a bedroom, alongside Seifer, Zell, and Irvine. They had arrived to Timber, just a few minutes later than anticipated. Laguna had met them at the station, and what would have been a warm welcome, was full of fear. The SeeDs of Balamb had emerged from the train first, worry plastered on their young faces. They approached Laguna, explaining what had happened the best way they could. _He just collapsed! He won't move, he won't wake up! _Squall was carried out by Seifer and Irvine, who carried their friend on each of their shoulders. When Laguna asked them for an explanation, they begged him to just take them to the inn.

"We weren't even on the train more than an hour, and he collapsed." Irvine said as he stared into the room at Timber's Inn. Squall was placed in bed, where he remained motionless and his breathing had become shallow. "He was fine beforehand."

Laguna sighed. He massaged his head with his fingertips. "This worries me."

Seifer stepped inside the room, and sat next to his bedside. Inside his chest, he felt that throbbing pain that plagued him for days. It pulled at his heart, at his lungs. He didn't have the courage to tell anyone, because what if this was _her_ doing? What if Ultimecia aimed to kill Squall, him and everyone else here in Timber? The fear of his past crept forward, and a part of him longed for a drink to numb it. "Should we call Quistis?" Zell asked.

Laguna shook his head, "There's no need to worry her at this point. But if he does not wake up soon, I'm afraid we won't have a choice."

"What of Trabia?" Irvine asked as he looked at Seifer and Squall. "Have they arrived?"

"They haven't arrived yet." Laguna moved his hand towards his chin, "I haven't received a status update from them."

"They'll make it." Zell said, sounding hopeful.

Squall groaned from within the room. Seifer stood straight, observing him. "He's moving!" He called to everyone.

Laguna entered the room swiftly, with Irvine and Zell close behind. They rushed to his bed where they watched him. Sweat had sprouted on his forehead. He groaned again as his head turned side to side. "Squall... snap put of it, bro." Zell said quietly.

"Seifer," Laguna knelt down by the bedside, "Go down stairs and ask the innkeeper to call a medic. Maybe he's simply fallen ill."

Seifer took a step back, reluctant, but nodded. "I will." He said.

"Could you also check on the kids?" Irvine asked as Seifer turned to leave, "Make sure they know everything will be alright?"

Seifer nodded as he left the room. Zell couldn't wipe the look off his face. Seeing his friend in distress only made him think of the worst. Squall was their leader, the strongest of their group. He always was. And for him to be the first to go down, Zell worried if they would lose the war with Ultimecia for sure. Irvine felt the same way; he thought of every possibility. Every horrible ending. He fought himself the urge to run to a phone and call Selphie. He didn't want to worry her, not in her condition. "We'll get a medic and he'll be alright," Laguna said to his friends, "Just have patience."

Once in the hall, Seifer shut the door behind him. Sweat dripped down from his hair line, and he wiped it with his palm. Leaving the room only intensified the pain in his chest. He hissed as he walked down the hall._ What's wrong with me? _he thought to himself as he placed a hand on the wall for balance. Was he just nervous? Was that the reason why he felt so ill?

The room of the young SeeD's was two doors down. As he reached it he took in a breath to calm himself, but it didn't help. He knocked gently on the door with his knuckles, "Hey kids." He called to them.

It was Kila who answered the door. She had pulled her blonde hair up into a bun. When she saw Seifer's face, she put her hand to her chest. "How is Squall? Is he alright?"

Seifer smiled weakly. He looked inside the room at the other SeeDs and their worried expressions. "Don't worry." He spoke to all of them, "He's resting. Once Trabia garden arrives, we will make plans from there."

Zane stood, as he had been sitting upon one of the four beds within the room, and smiled reassuringly. "See, I knew we didn't have to worry. Squall is the best for a reason."

"Well Irvine is great too, Bro!" Bruce said with a stand.

Seifer couldn't help but laugh and stopped them before a 'whose the best instructor' brawl started. "Everyone is great." He said, "Just await your next orders."

"We're you a SeeD too, Sir?" Veronica asked suddenly as he tried to turn to leave. He looked at her, trying to read her face. He could see the curiosity in her eyes. He wasn't an instructor, or a teacher of any sort; He knew they were aware of that. Yet, he had joined them for this battle. That had to be where her questioned derived from; Why was he there?

"Yes." He said, "I was."

Veronica smiled, "Why aren't you an instructor?"

_Kid, I need to get downstairs._ He sighed and wiped his forehead once more as he felt it grow damp. He took in a deep breath as he felt all the young eyes upon him. Kila hadn't moved from the door, but her hand turned the doorknob slowly as she awaited his answer. "I chose not to." He said simply.

"Then... Why join us?" Kila asked, a bit timid. She didn't want to seem rude, but she, just like Veronica, needed to know.

Seifer smiled weakly. He placed his hand on top of Kila's head, as she was the closest. "You all will learn one day," he said, "That a SeeD is always a SeeD, regardless of the time or situation. And we do our duty, with no questions asked."

Kila smiled. Zane raised one hand into the air, saluting Seifer, "I couldn't agree more." He said.

Seifer laughed quietly, "Yes, well... as I said, sit tight and await orders. Laguna or one of the rest of us will return to you all shortly."

He took that moment to dismiss himself, before he was bombarded with more questions. He heard the door close behind him, followed by the quiet murmurs of their voices. Seifer smiled to himself, but noticed as he further stepped away, the pain returned. _Maybe the medic could look me over,_ he thought to himself, _I just need to get downstairs. _He took in a deep breath and pressed forward. He reached the stairs, trotting down as fast as he was able. He looked towards the service desk, but saw no one. His eyebrows knitted together as he searched behind the desk, and into the office behind it. "Hey! Hello?" He called out.

There wasn't an answer. At least, not an answer from the man who had checked them in. Instead, behind him, he heard a woman's voice. "Is Squall upstairs?"

Seifer's heart stopped. He turned only his head, just enough, to see a woman - Rinoa - standing behind him. A ball was lodged in his throat. "R-Rinoa?" He gasped.

She smiled at him. "Hi Seifer." she said.

He turned to face her fully. She wore a blue dress, with black tights. Her hair was long, really long... as if she hadn't cut it since the day she disappeared. There was just something... off. "How... how did you know we were here?" He asked her.

She smiled again at him, "Don't worry." She said, "It's ok. Is he upstairs?"

Rinoa took a step towards Seifer. He froze, and backed into the desk behind him. The tightness in his chest grew as she moved in his direction. With each step, breathing became more difficult. "R-Rinoa... wha-"

She pressed a finger to his lip. She stared into his eyes, and he saw nothing but emptiness. This wasn't Rinoa, it couldn't be. There was something missing. As if, she wasn't hole. "Have you felt her calling you?" She whispered to him.

Color drained from his face. A frightened whimper escaped his lips. There it was, the immense fear he felt when he thought of the sorceress. The scent of her emitted off of Rinoa in waves. He felt faint. "W-What?"

Rinoa leaned in. Her lips were inches from his ear as she whispered, "Ultimecia."

Seifer closed his eyes as he felt himself enveloped in darkness. He whispered to himself, begging himself to wake. He heart slammed against his rib cage; It would burst through his chest at any second. In his ears, he could hear a cackle, somewhere in the distance. _This is a dream. This is a dream. It has to be. It has to be!_

"Seifer?" He heard Rinoa's voice again, but he refused to open his eyes. "Seifer!"

"N-N... No No No." He muttered under his breath. He slid down against the desk and sat upon the ground with his knees against his chest. The tightness in his chest wouldn't stop. He felt this was it. Rinoa was sent to kill him. To kill everyone.

"Seifer!" he heard her voice again.

Then, the pain stopped.

Against his cheek, he felt a gentle lick.

Seifer opened one eye, to be greeted by another. A small, animal face panted in his. A dog. Angelo. He opened both his eyes, and jumped when Angelo barked happily. He was, again, greeted by a lick in the face. Seifer shook his head. "Wha... Angelo?"

"Seifer? Are you alright?"

He looked up, to see Rinoa. His heart leaped in his chest, out of fear, but he noticed a change. She wasn't wearing the same clothes she had been wearing seconds before. She wore a white top, and dark jeans. Her hair was an normal as she always wore it. She looked... like Rinoa. "R-Rinoa?"

She knelt down in front of him, and wiped sweat from his face, "I came in... and saw you on the ground, whispering something. Are you ok?"

He nodded. "I am... How... How did you get here?"

Rinoa's eyebrows raised high above her head, "I was in town. I have a room upstairs, I just came to check out... and saw you."

His eyes went wide. "You're here? In Timber?"

"Yes..." She laughed nervously, "Should I not be here? I'm sorry I can leave." When she stood, Seifer grabbed her hand tight to stop her.

"Wait. Squall is upstairs!"

He saw her eyes grow sad, "He is?" she said quietly.

"Yes! Do you still know your healing magic?"

She looked down at him, concerned, "Healing? Is he alright? Seifer, what's going on?"

Seifer wasted no time. He pulled her arm, and forced her upstairs. He nearly drug her as she stumbled. "Wait!"

"No! Squall needs you!"


End file.
